Repressed memories of abuse

Statute of limitations promotes prompt initiation of claims –

Telegraphers v. Railway Express Agency (1944). People have a limited

number of years to take their claims to court.

Delayed discovery doctrine

Limitations does not begin until facts are first discovered (i.e., you have 7 years after you discover you were harmed). If it can be shown that memories for abuse are recent (because they were repressed for years), then some courts will allow the claims to be heard, even though the abuse itself may have occurred decades ago.

Freudian term of repression

Theoretical blockage making memories unrecoverable. Memories are hidden in our unconscious to protect us because they are painful.

Theory modified from Janet’s (1895) theory of dissociation.

Janet believed that our brain was full of psychic energy that kept ideas and memories connected. Once we are traumatized, the energy is weakened, and these connections break apart (i.e., dissociate from one another).

Memories can be a source of mental illness.

Therapists believe the childhood abuse is causing symptoms today (e.g. eating disorder). Therapists believe recovering the abuse memory is critical to healing. Note: only some therapists believe these things.

Psychoanalysis used to access memories --relive the traumatic

experience – a process termed.

abreaction

Briere & Conte (1993) found 59% of sexual abuse victims

reported

“repressing the memories.”

Iatrogenic

(therapist suggested) false memories of abuse.

-There is evidence that suggestive practices by therapists may lead to false memories.

narrative truth

What the client believes

historical truth

What actually happened

A theory not easily tested – violates the

principle of falsifiability

only theories capable of being disproven by research

are good theories

In Post traumatic stress disorder

Traumatic events are more likely to be recalled, not less likely.

Developmental psychologists say early events

are lost to us due to

infantile amnesia (< 4 years). Prior to 4 or older, our brains are not developed enough to store long term memories. So, these so-called memories of early childhood abuse should not exist according to theory of infantile amnesia.

What is recovered memory therapy?

Techniques used to recover

forgotten memories of trauma

• Hypnosis

• Guided imagery

• Dream interpretation

• Journaling

• Reading incest survivor

stories (e.g., “Courage to

Heal”)

Imagination inflation

A term coined by Loftus. It refers to the tendency to believe events are real if asked to imagine them. The more I imagine an event, the more

difficult it is later to distinguish between real and imagined events.

Guided imagery techniques

Participants imagine abuse scenarios to help“spark” their memory.