The Repressed Memory Epidemic: How It Happened and What We Need to Learn from It

Description

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the concept of repressed memories. It provides a history and context that documents key events that have had an effect on the way that modern psychology and psychotherapy have developed. Chapters provide an overview of how human memory functions and works and examine facets of the misguided theories behind repressed memory. The book also examines the science of the brain, the reconstructive nature of human memory, and studies of suggestibility. It traces the present-day resurgence of a belief in repressed memories in the general public as well as among many clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, “body workers,” and others who offer counseling. It concludes with legal and professional recommendations and advice for individuals who deal with or have dealt with the psychotherapeutic practice of repressed memory therapy. Topics featured in this text include: The modern diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (once called MPD) The “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s and its relation to repressed memory therapy. The McMartin Preschool Case and the “Day Care Sex Panic.” A historical overview from the Great Witch Craze to Sigmund Freud’s theories, spanning the 16th to 19th centuries. An exploration of the cultural context that produced the repressed memory epidemic of the 1990s. The repressed memory movement as a religious sect or cult. The Repressed Memory Epidemic will be of interest to researchers and clinicians as well as undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of psychology, sociology, cultural studies, religion, and anthropology. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxxii Origins: How a Dangerous Psychological Fad Began (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 1-40 Memory Stash: The Brain Is Not a Mental Filing Cabinet (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 41-101 Alice in Fantasyland: How to Create False Memories (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 103-134 The Myth of Multiple Personalities and Satanic Cults (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 135-183 The Day-Care Sex Panic (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 185-219 A Historical Foray: From Witch Craze to Freud (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 221-259 The Cultural Landscape (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 261-293 The Survivor Sect: Another Kind of Conversion Disorder (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 295-324 The Scope of the Problem and Its Aftermath (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 325-369 The Return of the Repressed and What to Do About It (Mark Pendergrast)....Pages 371-419 Back Matter ....Pages 421-628