Loftus Repressed Memory Analysis

Elizabeth Loftus has conducted a number of studies on memory and on how memory can be affected; in this article she discusses repressed memories. Loftus focuses on repressed memories of sexual abuse, however she makes it plain that she is not discussing memories that individuals have had since an incident occurred and never disclosed, but she is discussing memories that before going to a therapist an individual had not had before. In her article Loftus discusses techniques that are used to recover memories, these techniques include sexual dream interpretation, guided visualization and suggestive questions. All of the techniques described have contributed to the supposed recovery of repressed memories that the individual had no idea existed. It is unclear how common true repressed memories are but, according to Loftus, there is not much evidence of repressed memories being accurate. The article goes on to tell of how some therapists claim to identify a group …show more content…
These symptoms can be as common as nightmares, headaches, trust problems, high risk taking behavior or too low risk taking behavior. another symptom sometimes attributed to supposed repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse are homosexuality. Loftus states that if anything about a person could indicate repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse then there are no real symptoms of childhood sexual abuse. Loftus discusses implanted memories. When discussing this idea Loftus cites a book where individuals who were convinced by therapist that they had recovered memories of childhood and later realized that they did not suffer from the supposed sexual abuse. The article describes ways that therapists can help patients without suggesting false memories. Some suggestions are that therapists wait to introduce patients to a group therapy type of environment until they are sure that the patient has experienced sexual abuse, to avoid allowing personal biases to cloud judgment and be cautious about the use of