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 ....
Dave Lieberman
It might be better to restate the myth to say that repression is the _typical_ result of traumatic events; child abuse in particular.
I don't think that many experimental psychologists (certainly not this behaviorist) would argue that unpleasant events _can_ be less likely to be recalled, even to the point where they are not recalled.
The question (and ultimately an empirical one) is whether this is the most likely outcome.
Specifically, when an individual (under prompting from a therapist) recalls unpleasant earlier experiences that she did not recall until then, is the most likely hypothesis:
1. Repression.
or
2. The sort of suggestion effect that Loftus has documented.
-- * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Dept Minnesota State University * * 23 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN 56001 ph 507-389-6217 * * http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/psych/welcome.html *
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