Discussion»Questions»Human Behavior» People accuse you of things you said/did that you didn't. They're lying or relying on false memories. Why/how do false memories occur?
Why m2c? What difference would it make if I gave you an example of a false memory? Maybe if you read CallMeIsmael's answer you will understand the question better.
Yes because sometimes people do have actual false memories and sometimes it is the same memory just the person seen it differently. That is why police say a eye witness account is not always accurate. Especially in an unexpected situation. Like if someone ran up and grabbed someone's purse. Brain Games (TV show) did something like this and showed how our brains fill in details that we really did not see. It is very interesting watching people swear they person stealing was wearing this color but in reality the color was nothing even close.
False memory definition: an apparent recollection of an event that did not actually occur, especially one of childhood sexual abuse arising from suggestion during psychotherapy. I think I may have a false memory from childhood. I imagined a scene so often I think I began to believe it actually happened.
I have seen TV shows and movies about that very thing CMI. A psychoanalyst/psychiatrist/psychologist digging at an adult person or even worse a child and "planting" memories of things that never happened. So the "expert" insists Daddy dearest assaulted/molested/raped her and no such thing ever happened. That is such an evil thing to do. It depends on the words used in the questions. Professionals have to be VERY CAREFUL how they go about it. About your false memory my friend. Is there someone with whom you could corroborate it? Someone who could validate it or dismiss it? I have had the opposite problem and my sister is a great corroborator. There are things that happened in our lives that I do not recall or if I do I recall them it is incorrectly. She sets me straight. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is loss of memory. I've had arguments with Jim about things he says happened that I "KNOW" didn't. Then later I find they did happen. Those pieces of my memory are gone. Where they went I don't know and I also wonder why some things you never forget and some things you do. Thank you for your reply! :)
Mistakes in memory are the best reason for keeping a journal. Write it down while it's fresh. Keep records.
False memories can occur in many ways, including being induced by specialists with agendas asking leading questions.
To determine if a memory is false (in the absence of evidence) requires specialised questions and cannot always be discerned with certainty. But if you're talking about Trump and the women he has been inappropriate with... adult women do not forget abuse. It is not a forgettable experience.
For lies, look to motivation, plausibility and what information is missing.
Rosie, if you asking this question because of Trump's latest headlines - I'd say there are plenty of reasons why the women would have kept quiet until now, and why Trump would use every trick he imagines might work to try to discredit them. Everything he has said and done so far is consistent with a man who has no respect for women and is ignorant of women's issues. I would go further and say that he has so far demonstrated no capacity for empathy with anyone.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at October 17, 2016 10:16 PM MDT
my2cents 