False memory syndrome

In psychology, false memory syndrome (FMS) was a proposed "pattern of beliefs and behaviors"[1] in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by false memories of psychological trauma, recollections which are strongly believed by the individual, but contested by the accused.[2] False memory syndrome was proposed to be the result of recovered memory therapy, a scientifically discredited form of therapy intended to recover memories. Originally conceptualized by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, the organization sought to understand what they understood as a general pattern of behaviors that followed after a patient underwent recovered memory therapy and to come up with a term to explain the pattern.[3] The principle that individuals can hold false memories and the role that outside influence can play in their formation is widely accepted by scientists, but there is debate over whether this effect can lead to the kinds of detailed memories of repeated sexual abuse and significant personality changes (i.e. cutting off family members) typical of cases that FMS has historically been applied to.[4][5][6][7][failed verification] FMS is not listed as a psychiatric illness[8] in any medical manuals including the ICD-11,[9] or the DSM-5.[10] The most influential figure in the genesis of the theory is psychologist Elizabeth Loftus.[11][failed verification]

  1. ^ de Rivera, Joseph (1997). "The Construction of False Memory Syndrome: The Experience of Retractors". Psychological Inquiry. 8 (4): 271–292. doi:10.1207/s15327965pli0804_1. ISSN 1047-840X.
  2. ^ McHugh, Paul Rodney (2008). Try to remember: Psychiatry's clash over meaning, memory and mind. Dana Press. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-1-932594-39-3.
  3. ^ Freyd, Pamela (March 5, 1993). "Our Critics" (PDF). FMS Foundation Newsletter. 2 (3): 3–4.
  4. ^ Paterson, H. M., Kemp, R. I., & Forgas, J. P. (2010). "Co-witnesses, confederates, and conformity: The effects of discussion and delay on eyewitness memory.," Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.
  5. ^ Loftus, Elizabeth F. Memory: Surprising New Insights Into How We Remember and Why We Forget (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1980).
  6. ^ Schacter, Daniel L. The Seven Sins of Memory : How the Mind Forgets and Remembers (Houghton Mifflin Co., 2001).
  7. ^ Association for Psychological Science (2008, August 20). "False Memories Affect Behavior."
  8. ^ Rix, Rebecca (2000). Sexual abuse litigation: a practical resource for attorneys, clinicians, and advocates. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7890-1174-9.
  9. ^ Dalenberg, Constance J.; Brand, Bethany L.; Loewenstein, Richard J.; Frewen, Paul A.; Spiegel, David (June 12, 2020). "Inviting Scientific Discourse on Traumatic Dissociation: Progress Made and Obstacles to Further Resolution". Psychological Injury and Law. 13 (2): 135–154. doi:10.1007/s12207-020-09376-9.
  10. ^ American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89042-555-8.
  11. ^ Zagorski, N. (2005). "Profile of Elizabeth F. Loftus". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102 (39): 13721–13723. Bibcode:2005PNAS..10213721Z. doi:10.1073/pnas.0506223102. PMC 1236565. PMID 16172386.