The Memory Wars can be a dark topic, full of trauma. Yet out of the Memory Wars, there was a multitude of new information gained and a turn for the better in the psychology community. Insight was gained on how we form memories, how we recall them, new therapeutic approaches based on science, and a new outlook on how to support survivors. As is the message of the story of the Lotus, out of the mud that was the Memory Wars, came the beautiful Lotus of knowledge.
The Memory Wars is the debate between clinicians and scientists during the 1990s. This video depicts a brief overview: how it started, what main ideas fueled this, and what science has said in response.
Hx of Memory Wars.mp4To understand what the Memory Wars are truly about, we must understand the cognitive science behind memory.
video1684235801_Trim.mp4Now that we know the history of the Memory Wars and how memory systems work, let's take a deeper look into cognitive psychology through a feminist lens. It is important to consider accountability, egalitarianism, open-mindedness, and intersectionality in the feminist therapist's practice.
CapstoneRecording2022_Trim.mp4The Memory Wars are still quietly raging on. While the science surrounding memory has advanced, there is still a stronghold in the psychology community that refuses to move forward. This has helped spread misinformation into our collective culture about how memory functions. To create a better, more truthful future, we must correct the misleading information that exists. We must base our practice on science, and we must maintain our duty to believe survivors.
Discussion: The Lotus Project
Memory recovery therapy is based on an implicit theory of the relationship between trauma, or extremely stressful life events, and memory. Such that traumatic memories can be repressed and recovered through therapy. We know this is not the case through numerous studies and surveys that examine false memory implantation, memory recall and accessibility, and eyewitness testimony (Loftus, 2017; Otgaar, et al., 2019; Husband, & Billings, 1995; Ceci, et al., 1994; Hyman, Lindsay & Read, 1994). This widely held implicit belief, however, is so heavily retained by society even though it is not a fact. With the accessibility to social media, the Memory Wars and the ideas of repression and memory recovery, unfortunately, continue to persist. When authority figures or title holders in the scientific community back these non-empirically based claims the issue becomes increasingly problematic. This idea is also perpetuated by authority figures like therapists and clinicians, lawyers, teachers, and professors which further circulated misinformation. When this misinformation is spread into the minds of the general public, it begins to guide our cultural narratives about the nature of memory and cognition. If a person came to a therapist seeking help they are more likely to accept an explanation that aligns with what is familiar to them, i.e. what they have learned through popular culture and media. Our social media overview showed us that there is an abundance of misinformation and misleading information online. There are accounts that attempt to help their viewers by making a general assumption that if a person is experiencing a certain symptom they must be suffering from abuse or a history of abuse. They then recommend exercises to recall this assumed history of abuse and viewers attribute their feelings and thoughts to having been abused even though the content creator has not done a full assessment and does not know each viewer’s personal history. This leads to many viewers self-diagnosing themselves without talking to a therapist or healthcare provider.
(Cordima & Grafton, 2022)
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She/ they
Elle Cordima is a graduating senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Theatre and Cultural Awareness & Knowledge. She is looking forward to taking a gap year after graduation to focus on sustainability efforts in California. She also wants to find work with non-profit organizations that focus on mental health in low income communities.
He/him
Joey Grafton is a graduating senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Japanese. He will be continuing his education at Pacific University by joining the Masters in Applied Psychological Science class of 2024 in the fall. After graduation, he hopes to work with LGBTQ+ youth as a therapist.
she/her/hers
Marisa Dixon is a graduating senior majoring in Psychology. She will be taking a year off before pursuing her doctoral degree to gain hands-on experience where she was offered a position working with adolescents with eating disorders in West Linn, OR.
