Repression or Falsehood: The debate over memory.
false memory debate has been a long standing, intense situation in the world of psychiatry. The recovered memory debate has been the most acrimonious, vicious and hurtful internal controversy in the history of modern psychiatry (Scheflin, 2004, para. 1). There has been great debate over whether the trauma such as physical or sexual abuse,satanic rituals, sacrifice, crimes that patients some time recall in therapy are forgotten or false memories. There is a fine line between the and there have been several instances in which false memories have been planted in patient's head. The memory is a complex entity so what may appear to be repressed could be false and vice-versa. The debate has caused rifts in the world of psychiatry and cases have permeated the court at an alarming rate with individuals who have sued facilities who have planted false memories, and with people who remembered memories and were victims of abuse and other crimes.
"A repressed memory is the memory of a traumatic event unconsciously retained in the mind, where it is said to adversely affect conscious thought, desire, and action. It is common to consciously repress unpleasant experiences(Caroll, 2003, para 1)." Many psychologists believe that unconscious repression of traumatic experiences such as sexual abuse or rape is a defense mechanism which backfires. The unpleasant experience is forgotten but not forgiven. It lurks beneath consciousness and allegedly causes a myriad of psychological and physical problems from bulimia to insomnia to suicide.The idea of unconsciously repressing the memory of traumatic experiences is controversial. There is little scientific evidence to support either the notion that traumatic experiences are typically unconsciously repressed or that unconscious memories of traumatic events are significant causal factors in physical or mental illness, or that such memories don't exist and are just false.
