In situations throughout The Liar’s Club, Mary Karr mentions blanking out memories of her past. But, how does the brain suppress these memories, what are scientists discovering about suppressing memories, and what is their use in court. Repressed memories are unconsciously repressed by the brain. Scientists believe this process is called state-dependent learning. Meaning the brain creates memories in a certain mood or state, especially in stressful and traumatic situations. These memories are not able to be retrieved until the brain is back in that state. When Mary got whipped by her Mother after her grandmother caught Mary going through her drawers. Mary began to forget the Tex and Belinda stuff her grandmother used to do and
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Many of times repressed memories are found in those who have suffered childhood abuse. But, repressed memories took the spotlight in a “landmark case” in Redwood City, California in 1990. The defendant was George Franklin Sr. 51 years old standing trial 20 years after a murder. The victim was 8-year-old Susan Kay Nason who was murdered on September 22, 1969. Franklin’s daughter Eileen was 8 years old at the time of the murder. The unusual thing was Eileen’s memory did not come back until one afternoon in 1989 while playing with her two-year-old son. Fragments started to return of what happened. She remembered the look of betrayal in Susie’s eyes, her father sexually assaulting Susie, Susie covered in blood. The jury impressed with Eileen’s detailed and confident memories of the events convicted her father of first-degree murder. But, this case along with others brings the questions of the authenticity of repressed memories. Scientists cannot determine if these memories are authentic. Many things can affect memory like popular writings, therapists’ suggestions, client and therapist accounts, taped interviews, etc. Or are some repressed memories fake/false memories and studies have shown it is possible for people to construct entire …show more content…
Studies have shown people can repress memories and discovered the chemical reasons of repressed memories in mice. But, even though their repressed memories are widely accepted in court it brings up questions of if these memories are real or fake/false. If they are real, the question of is they accurate remains unanswered. Mary Karr said “When the truth would be unbearable the mind often blanks it out. But some ghost of an event may stay in your head. Then, like a smudge of a bad word quickly wiped off a school blackboard, this ghost can call undue attention to itself by its very vagueness. You keep studying the dim shape of it, as if the original form will magically emerge. This blank spot in my past, then, spoke most loudly to me by being blank,”
Many of times repressed memories are found in those who have suffered childhood abuse. But, repressed memories took the spotlight in a “landmark case” in Redwood City, California in 1990. The defendant was George Franklin Sr. 51 years old standing trial 20 years after a murder. The victim was 8-year-old Susan Kay Nason who was murdered on September 22, 1969. Franklin’s daughter Eileen was 8 years old at the time of the murder. The unusual thing was Eileen’s memory did not come back until one afternoon in 1989 while playing with her two-year-old son. Fragments started to return of what happened. She remembered the look of betrayal in Susie’s eyes, her father sexually assaulting Susie, Susie covered in blood. The jury impressed with Eileen’s detailed and confident memories of the events convicted her father of first-degree murder. But, this case along with others brings the questions of the authenticity of repressed memories. Scientists cannot determine if these memories are authentic. Many things can affect memory like popular writings, therapists’ suggestions, client and therapist accounts, taped interviews, etc. Or are some repressed memories fake/false memories and studies have shown it is possible for people to construct entire …show more content…
Studies have shown people can repress memories and discovered the chemical reasons of repressed memories in mice. But, even though their repressed memories are widely accepted in court it brings up questions of if these memories are real or fake/false. If they are real, the question of is they accurate remains unanswered. Mary Karr said “When the truth would be unbearable the mind often blanks it out. But some ghost of an event may stay in your head. Then, like a smudge of a bad word quickly wiped off a school blackboard, this ghost can call undue attention to itself by its very vagueness. You keep studying the dim shape of it, as if the original form will magically emerge. This blank spot in my past, then, spoke most loudly to me by being blank,”