Stephen Black had a TIPS email a few weeks ago in which he listed myths that many students believe, one of which is that children can repress the memory of having been sexually abused, only for this memory to resurface for many years.
He and I got into an extended correspondence about whether the repression of painful memories should really be regarded as a myth (from my point of view, very enjoyable), and in the end it seemed to me that we differed not so much in our interpretations of the evidence (though we did) as in our fundamental assumptions about whether it was plausible that people could inhibit or repress memories about traumatic events. As we continued to discuss this, it seemed to me that this might be part of a much wider division between psychologists about the reality of repression�that is, not simply whether memories can be repressed, but more broadly whether emotions can be suppressed, so that people are not consciously aware of them. Because of my particular background in psychology (reading Freud as a teenager), I�d always taken it for granted that psychologists accepted the existence of emotional repression, but I�m now wondering whether this remains a much more controversial issue than I had realized. I wonder what members of TIPS think about this? Specifically, from your experience, do you think there are still powerful divisions between experimental psychologists about the existence of repression or other defense mechanisms? If so, what proportion of experimental psychologists would you guess accept the reality of such processes? Dave Lieberman Note: I�m really asking about psychologists� current beliefs, rather than whether these beliefs are valid, but it�s perhaps worth mentioning (as a further blow against Stephen, for daring to disagree with me) several recent reviews that argue that while Freud�s overall theory is undoubtedly vague, there is nevertheless convincing experimental evidence for the existence of at least some of the defense mechanisms he postulated: Westen, D. (1998). The scientific legacy of Sigmund Freud: Toward a psychodynamically informed psychological science. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 333-371. Baumeister, R. F., Dale, K., & Sommer, K. L. (1998). Freudian defense mechanisms and empirical findings in modern social psychology: Reaction formation, projection, displacement, undoing, isolation, sublimation, and denial. Journal of Personality, 66, 1081-1124. Cramer, P. (2000). Defense mechanisms in psychology today: Further processes for adaptation. American Psychologist, 55, 637-646. A common theme of these reviews is that defense mechanisms have been widely accepted within social psychology, though they have often masqueraded under other names such as the false consensus effect (a version of projection) and positive illusions (a version of denial). Does anyone know of recent reviews that reach the opposite conclusion, that there is no convincing evidence for defense mechanisms to avoid experiencing painful thoughts or emotions? Dr. David A. Lieberman Department of Psychology University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland U. K. [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
