Creating False Memories Summary

In “The Argument for the Reality of Delayed Recall of Trauma” Richard Kluft suggests that repressed memory’s are held accountable. He provides sufficient evidence that this is in fact an arguable account. First piece of evidence he brought up states that traumatizing memories are the major memories that get repressed and become “unavailable”. But through hypnosis, and psychological therapy they can be retrieved, and should be held accountable. These traumatic memories include sexual assault, sexual molest, incest, and abuse. Then he brings up another patient who was traumatized post war, who believed that he hadn’t killed any innocent villagers during the war. But proved to be wrong, he had in fact convicted several unnecessary kills. Again he proves that although memories are lost, they are in fact real and can be used as evidence. Kluft then
furthers his argument onto several tests conducted by various researchers, which prove that negative memories may get repressed and avoided, but they still exist and are indeed real. Also additional research informs us that traumatic experiences avoided by the mind will indeed by suppressed and driven from mental awareness. Richard Kluft’s reason of writing this paper was to provide details and facts that prove repressed memory, and those memory which are lost can indeed be retrieved, and can be held accountable.
In opposing paper “Creating False Memories” Elizabeth F. Loftus claims that, false memories can easily be implanted through convincing and manipulating words. The easiest way to implant false memories is usually through someone you trust or believe in. Through the paper she includes many examples of how easy it is for therapists to implant false memories through therapy with the patients even acknowledging it. And the only way the patients found out that those memories were unauthentic was through physical evidence, or witnesses. “Misinformation effect” is a study Loftus made, and this study was used as evidence. This form of study showed that a person’s memory can often be manipulated or diverted when misleading information or wording is presented to them. In another study, evidence was provided, even without hypnosis false memories can be implanted through misleading context or false evidence provided by
witnesses. The next study she conducted a three-stage procedure, which turned out to prove that if events of trauma were imagined numerous times, they can become memories that patients believe in. With this in account, Loftus questions the accountability of anyone’s repressed memories, whether they have been manipulated, altered, or implanted entirely. Elizabeth Loftus’s reasoning for writing this paper is to prove that mental health professionals, and other individuals can easily influence repressed memories by simple tricks, or even without acknowledging it. Loftus questions then, even the most skilled and experienced evaluators cannot tell the difference, can repressed memories continue to be held accountable?