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False Memory Syndrome

            Many argue that there is no such thing as False Memory Syndrome. Back in the day Multiple Personality Disorder did not appear in the DSM but it is there now. One day False Memory Syndrome will appear in the DSM. Meanwhile, people do develop "memories" of events they have never experienced and they do truly believe they have experienced these events. Call it false memories; call it delusions - it exists. .
             People forget most of what occurs to them, including some events that were pleasant or significant to them at the time. If an event is lost from memory, there is no scientific way to prove whether it was "repressed" or simply forgotten. False memory syndrome involves a combination of mistaken perceptions and false beliefs. The false memory syndrome patient is encouraged to "connect" with an environment that will reinforce the False Memory Syndrome state, and is encouraged to "disconnect" from people or information that might lead them to question. .
             Is it possible that the memories in our head are untrue? If they are untrue, where did they come from? In Freud's theory of "repression" the mind automatically banishes traumatic events from memory to prevent overwhelming anxiety. Freud further speculated that repressed memories cause "neurosis," which could be cured if the memories were made conscious. .
             The nature of memory causes some memories to be distorted through influences such as the integration of new information. There are also believed-in imaginings that are not based in historical reality; these have been called false memories, pseudo-memories and memory illusions. They can result from the influence of outside factors. .
             Memories are subject to worsening and change over time while in storage. And our current expectations and beliefs can alter our perception of a memory when it is recalled. Careful experiments have shown that it is remarkably easy to influence people so that they come to believe in memories that are false.


Essays Related to False Memory Syndrome

1. False Memory Syndrome

According to the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, 92 percent of the people who have it are female; 74 percent are between the ages of 31 and 50; 31 percent have education beyond college; and 60 percent report memory of abuse prior to age 4 (Acocella, 1999). ... The false-memory-syndrome- movement supports the fact that some therapists implant memories in their patients, causing them to unjustly accuse their parents or caregivers of abuse. ... Piaget later wrote: "I therefore must have heard, as a child, the account of this story...and projected it into the past in the form of a visual memo...

  • Word Count: 5530
  • Approx Pages: 22

2. Repressed Memory

Repression or Falsehood: The debate over memory The recovered memory vs. false memory debate has been a long standing, intense situation in the world of psychiatry. ... The memory is a complex entity so what may appear to be repressed could be false and vice-versa. ... Until recently, the false memory/recovered memory controversy has been defined by zealots from both ends of the spectrum (Scheflin,2004,para 3)." ... "For example, reports of recovered memories of child sex abuse may be described as the result of implanting, false memory syndrome, repression, dissociation, motivated for...

  • Word Count: 1060
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. What Can Research Tell Us About the Reliabilty of Memory

False memories. The apparent recovery of memories that have no basis in fact has become known as false memory syndrome. There is clear evidence from laboratory studies that it is quite possible to implant false memories. In one study Loftus and Pickrell (1995) were able to implant false memories in 24 participants aged 23-53. ... Seven of the 24 participants "remembered" the false event, often with vivid details. ...

  • Word Count: 2024
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. To what extent are our memories accurate reconstructions

One scientifically unproven notion is that painful memories are pushed out of normal memory and placed into the unconscious, this is known as a Repressed memory. ... When interference occurs and a fake or inaccurate memory is born it is known as "False Memory Syndrome". Elizabeth Loftus is one of the main figureheads concerned with research on memory accuracy, in particular False Memory Syndrome. ... Fruzzetti et al (1992) articulated that even a very low rate of false identifications have lead to hundreds of innocents being convicted of crime every year. ... Memories are also very changeable ...

  • Word Count: 1705
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. FAS

Definition and Terms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was an interesting topic for me because I ran into an account of this while I was working at a restaurant in Fayetteville, and because I am pregnant. ... Researching this topic I found a lot of basic definitions for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). ... This web site also told me the major characteristics of FAS which included facial abnormalities, growth deficiency, central nervous system dysfunction, poor motor skills, behavioral and learning problems, difficulties with memory, attention and judgment. ... Fetal Alcohol Synd...

  • Word Count: 3251
  • Approx Pages: 13
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Modality

(Nolen-Hoeksema, 2010) Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that some individuals develop after experiencing a traumatic or dangerous event. ... For individuals suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, this reaction becomes modified or damaged. ... Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome include reliving the traumatic event, referred to as "flashbacks", easily startled, frequent nightmares, disrupted sleep, angry or aggressive behavior, difficulties with memory, depression...

  • Word Count: 1131
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. What About the Insanity Defense?

"The abuse excuse," "battered woman syndrome," "child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome," "false memory syndrome," "television intoxication," "urban survival syndrome," "XYY chromosome abnormality"--these are just a few of the colorful appellations used to describe claims that mental health professionals have bolstered with their testimony over the years. ...

  • Word Count: 1163
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Medicinal Marijuana: The Truth Behind the Lies

Also, marijuana does not impair short-term memory. The only time short-term memory is impaired is during intoxication. ... This claim however is also false. ... What he said was very true and very false. ... "Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant, specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia" (Medical Use). ...

  • Word Count: 1547
  • Approx Pages: 6

9. autism

It's prevalence rate now places it as the third most common disability, more common than Down's Syndrome. ... They may have average verbal, memory or spatial skills but find it difficult to be imaginative or join in activities with others. ... These are just a few of the theories that are false about the cause of autism. They have been proven false and furthermore, no known psychological factors in the development of the child have been shown to cause autism. ...

  • Word Count: 1238
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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