Psychology and Memory Wars

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY AND MEMORY WARS
Psychology and Memory Wars
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1PSYCHOLOGY AND MEMORY WARS
“The biggest wall you have to climb is the one you build in your mind: Never let your mind
talk you out of your dreams, trick you into giving up. Never let your mind become the
greatest obstacle to success. To get your mind on the right track, the rest will follow`”
The above quoted lines of the famous author Roy T. Bennett from his work “The
Light in the Heart” speak volume about the nature of the human mind and the power which it
wields over the individuals concerned. The human mind has been an area of much research
since the traditional times and it is a reflection of this that a number of critical debates have
centered round this particular debate (Rutten, Fedor and Zvereva 2013). Memory and the
validity of the memories which the human beings have are one of the topics which had
gathered much critical attention in the present times (Forrest, François and Hagemann 2013).
This is one of the reasons for the memory wars of the later part of the 20th century. It is
significant to note that one group of the psychologists as well as the researchers believed in
the validity of the various memories related to the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and other kinds
of events whereas, on the other hand, there are others who do not believe in the validity of
these memories and are of the opinion that they can be implanted and thus easily be
manipulated (Geraerts, Raymaekers and Merckelbach 2008). This particular fact can be seen
as a reflection of the growing number of the researchers which are being conducted in this
particular area and also due to the modern interpretations of the works of scholars as well as
theorists like Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and others (Rutten, Fedor and Zvereva 2013).
This essay will discuss argue about the fact that whether the various memory wars can be
effectively resolved or not if yes then to what extent they can be resolved.
The “memory wars of the 1990s refers to the controversy between some clinicians
and memory scientists about the reliability of repressed memories” (Rutten, Fedor and
Zvereva 2013). In the opinion of many people the various traumatic memories play a
significant role in the life of the various individuals and they as a matter of fact are the

2PSYCHOLOGY AND MEMORY WARS
building blocks on which the entire character or the personality of a particular individual is
built on (Forrest, François and Hagemann 2013). Therefore, these particular individuals
stressing the need to explore this particular hitherto unexplored part of the human brain
stressed on the need or the importance to incorporate this particular genre of the human mind
with the scientific study of the human minds and consider them as reliable sources of
information not only about the identity as well as the character of the person concerned but
also about the past experiences and the history of that particular person (Forrest, François and
Hagemann 2013). It is a reflection of this that “by early 1990s people were testifying in court,
making serious accusations based on their ‘recovered’ memories, and people were being
convicted and sent to jail over them” (Rutten, Fedor and Zvereva 2013). However, on the
other hand, there are people who consider these memory wars to be insignificant and as mere
aberrations or the figments of the human mind and that no such incidents have actually
happened in the life of the individual concerned (Forrest, François and Hagemann 2013). It is
significant to note that this particular difference in opinion as regards the relative importance
of the concept of the “memory wars” has formed the central focus of many arguments even in
the recent times and are far from being resolved (Foster and Nettelbeck 2012).
The memory war or the critical debate among the psychologists about the validity as
well as the reliability of the past memories of the individuals gained prominence in the 1990s
(Geraerts, Raymaekers and Merckelbach 2008). The debate about the validity of the various
kinds of memory wars gained prominence with the researches of Loftus and “other cognitive
psychologists” into the field of the recovered memories while operating their patents and
found that the majority of these recovered memories were likely to be ‘false memories’”
(Patihis et al. 2014). Furthermore, critics like Belli and Loftus are of the opinion that false
memories are results of the actions of “overzealous therapists” who often implant fictitious
memories or fake memories in the minds of the people who sought help (Geraerts,