False memory syndrome is characterized by the presence of false memories that can appear both spontaneously and 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 facts whose existence is only recognized by the person who evokes them.

It is not a disease or disorder , as it has not been recognized as a clinical category by the specialized international organizations. Nevertheless, the false memory syndrome has emerged in an important way in scientific and legal research, as a consequence of different polemics and controversies generated in such contexts. Below are some details about the characteristics and history of 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 , who proposed that a repressed foundational trauma occurring in childhood gave rise to the psychosomatic symptoms of the adult women he cared for.

Later, Sigmund Freud himself modifies his theory and speaks of these memories as a series of fantasies in which the traumatic events are underlying, and offers for this an interpretation from his theory of psychosexual development.

Some time later, and with the development of different psychotherapeutic approaches, a large part of the clinical approaches were based on the belief that there was a repressed trauma and that it could be remembered. In other words, the intention was to reveal the traumatic experiences of childhood through different techniques, ranging from hypnosis to classical individual therapy.

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

This happened partly as a result of studies on how our memory works. 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 and reproductive system . It is not infallible; it is constructed and modified over time and through our own narratives, interactions and experiences; thus, it is subject to errors and distortions.

False memories: types and characteristics

A false memory, or a false memory, is any memory report in which there is a partial or total difference with the facts of interest (Pinchansky, Víquez y Zeledón, 2004). In other words, they are memories that are remembered even though they have not actually 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 by assuring that they have occurred as reported. Therefore, they are memories that can cause an important and significant emotional experience in the person reporting them. Their formation does not necessarily depend on forgetting , although it may be closely linked to this.

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 this functioning can be unintentionally evoked by an 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 way that is consistent and logical with the person’s knowledge patterns. It originates from a third informative element , which can be a comment made by someone, or for example through a suggestive question.

In this case, the third information element is presented with the intention of provoking or forcing recognition of a false event. That is, implanted false memories, unlike spontaneous ones, 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 an important impact on the legal procedures of the criminal 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 way of memorization (oral, tactile, auditory, visual or combined)
  • The time of evaluation of the memory (whether it is immediate or time after the event has occurred).
  • The procedure to evoke the memory (by recognition or by free memory).

In turn, these elements depend on both cognitive and socio-cultural mechanisms , where the elaboration by memory 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’s Office to recall a certain event may be a trigger for the creation of a spontaneous false memory.

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

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

Bibliographic references:

  • False Memory Syndrome Foundation (2018). Memory and reality. Recovered August 15, 2018. Available at http://www.fmsfonline.org.
  • Pinchanski, S., Víquez, E. and Zeledón, C. (2004). Imposed memories. Med. leg. Costa Rica, 21(2) [Online version]. Retrieved 15 August 2018. Available at http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1409-00152004000200004.
  • Boakes, J. (1999). Complains of sexual misconduct. In Heaton-Armstrong, A., Shepherd, E. & Wolchover, D. Analysing Witness Testimony. Blackstone Press: London.