Repressed Memory

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of an article on the website called “Popsugar.com”, owned by a global media and technology company, with a focus on lifestyle. While this doesn’t appear to be the forum for such a serious topic, the article “I May Never Know if I Was Sexually Assaulted” written by Anonymous on 24 May 2017 is addressing the topic of repressed memory by using the title as an interesting hypothesis. The unknown author is describing the flashback memory of a potential sexual abuse as a child but is at the same time questioning the event. Trying to explore truth or fiction of the flashback event, the now grown-up is making the conscious decision to not be driven by this memory, but define her own future of

„Repressed Memory“ Page | 3 The author’s flashback memory plays a movie about the experience of a three to four year old girl who has been exposed to sexual abuse. Whilst it is not mentioned at what age this flashback memory appeared, it is mentioned that the incident occurred almost 30 years ago and the young girl, now in her adult age, is actually questioning her memory. With logic and having received psychological help, the author is trying to analyze if this “choppy, hand-cranked silent film” (Anonymous, 2017, p.1) is truth or fiction. From a scientific perspective, the author has reviewed multiple types of research on repressed memories, traumatic events, and its survivors, and from an emotional perspective evaluated the situation and determined her future. The key question, title, and hypothesis are if this event has actually happened, or if this she’s the victim of her own brain, forming unwanted or fictional memories. During the research, the psychotherapist Lindsey Pratt is being referenced whereby the brain would only allow us to experience what we’re able to handle (Anonymous, 2017, p. 2). This bears the question for Anonymous if this sexual abuse has actually happened, since the brain should block this

4). She determined that since there hasn’t been anything abnormal to social standards, it was time to move on and close this chapter and memory. My personal motivation for reading these articles has not only been the interest spiked by the title but the fact that such a serious topic can be found on a homepage dedicated to technology and lifestyle. I could have easily reviewed one of the many psychology articles, Stanford University publications, and have never heard of the website popsugar.com until today, but must admit that I am glad to have found this in one of the later reference pages when searching through google. The strong character of the author amazes me, but the article has to be read with caution. What has worked for her may not be applicable to everyone, and she makes that absolutely clear. Her way of addressing this was, as stated earlier, to live “the life that 4-year-old me would have wanted to have” (Anonymous, 2017, p. 5). The article explains not only her personal situation, but with the references given explains under what circumstances certain memories are going to surface or, on the opposite, are going to be suppressed “survival mode”. Looking back at the readings and assignments, the trigger for such a memory to resurface appears to be that when the patient is being confronted with the statement that her brain is going to suppress this memory (Loftus, 1993, p.23), resulting in the opposite effect. The