False memory syndrome: types and causes of this phenomenon

Memories can be distorted relatively easily, even in psychotherapy.

False memory syndrome is characterized by the presence of false memories, which can appear either spontaneously or induced. which can appear either spontaneously or induced. It is a syndrome because it refers to a set of elements that are characteristic of a certain situation, in this case, the evocation of events whose existence is only recognized by the person who evokes them.

It is not a disease or a disorder, since it has not been recognized as an illness.It is not a disease or a disorder, since it has not been recognized as a clinical category by specialized international organizations. Nevertheless, false memory syndrome has emerged in an important way in scientific and legal research, as a consequence of different controversies and controversies generated in these contexts. We will see below some details about the characteristics and history of the false memory syndrome.

False memory syndrome: what is it?

In the 19th century, the first public hypotheses about false memories were made by Sigmund Freud were made by Sigmund Freudwho proposed that a repressed foundational trauma that occurred in childhood gave rise to the psychosomatic symptoms of the adult women he treated.

Later, Sigmund Freud himself modified his theory and spoke of these memories as a series of fantasies underlying the traumatic events, and offered an interpretation from his theory of psychosexual development.

Later, with the development of different psychotherapeutic approaches, many of the clinical approaches were based on the belief based on the belief that there was a repressed trauma, and that there was a repressed and susceptible to being remembered. In other words, the intention was present to unveil the traumatic experiences of childhood through different techniques, ranging from hypnosis to classical individual therapy.

With the passage of time, all of the above began to be widely questioned, due to the possibility of creating a suggestive environment in which the person would end up evoking memories of experiences that never occurred, or evoking them in a distorted way.

This occurred in part as a consequence of studies on the functioning of our memory. For example, the cognitive sciences have told us that, far from being a kind of hard disk that stores and hides memories, our memory is rather a reconstructive system, our memory is rather a reconstructive and reproductive system.. It is not infallible, it is constructed and modified over time and through our own narratives, interactions and experiences; therefore, it is subject to errors and distortions.

False memories: types and characteristics

A false memory, or false memory, is any memory report in which there is a partial or total difference with the facts of interest (Pinchansky, Víquez and Zeledón, 2004). In other words, these are memories that are recalled even though they have not really occurred, or that have been significantly distorted.

They are images of the past that lack objective existence (their existence cannot be corroborated by the testimonies of third parties), but that a person can evoke assuring that they have occurred as reported. Therefore, they are memories that can cause an important and significant emotional experience in the person who reports them. Its formation does not necessarily depend on forgetfulnessalthough it may be closely linked to it.

There are two basic types of false memories, spontaneous memories and implanted memories.

1. Spontaneous

They are generated as a result of the internal functioning of the memory, but such functioning may be involuntarily evoked can be involuntarily evoked by external influence, for example by a requestThey are generated as a result of the internal functioning of the memory, but such functioning can be involuntarily evoked by external influence, for example by means of a request from an external person to clearly report some fact.

2. Implanted

They are the result of a person's exposure to false information, which is presented in a coherent and logical manner with the person's knowledge schemas. They originate from a third informational elementwhich can be a comment made by someone, or for example by means of a suggestive question.

In this case, the third informative element is presented with the intention of provoking or forcing the recognition of a false event. That is, implanted false memories, unlike spontaneous memories, are created voluntarily by someone other than the person reporting them.

Implanted false memories were especially studied by the American psychologist Elizabeth Loftus. The results of her research had a major impact on the legal procedures of the criminal justice system.

Causes

Pinchanski, Víquez and Zeledón (2004) following Brainerd and Reyna (1995), tell us that the general mechanisms of conformation of false memories, as well as in true memories, depend mainly on the following elements:

• The type of information that is memorized (common sense or complex information).
• The route of memorization (oral, tactile, auditory, visual or combined).
• The time of evaluation The time of the memory (whether it is immediate or some time after the event has occurred).
• The procedure to evoke the memory (by recognition or by free recall).

In turn, these elements depend on both depend on both cognitive and sociocultural mechanisms, where memory elaborationThe procedure for recalling the memory, in which memory elaboration is combined with the power relations established in a given context. For example, in the criminal context, the instruction of a lawyer or the public prosecutor to remember a particular event can be a trigger to create a spontaneous false memory.

Likewise, psychiatrist Janet Boakes (1999), who is one of the pioneers in studies on the false memory syndrome (especially in relation to memories of child sexual abuse), suggests that this syndrome occurs to a large extent as a consequence of the suggestion produced in the psychotherapeutic context..

According to Boakes, many of the people who report having recovered memories of a previous experience of sexual abuse, which cannot be corroborated by elements external to the person, do so within a therapeutic process, which the same author attributes to the influence of practices, beliefs and the influence of the professional.