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Deferme D, Otgaar H, Dodier O, Körner A, Mangiulli I, Merckelbach H, Sauerland M, Panzavolta M, Loftus EF. Repressed Memories (of Sexual Abuse Against Minors) and Statutes of Limitations in Europe: Status Quo and Possible Alternatives. Top Cogn Sci 2024. [PMID: 38297503 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
One of the most heated debates in psychological science concerns the concept of repressed memory. We discuss how the debate on repressed memories continues to surface in legal settings, sometimes even to suggest avenues of legal reform. In the past years, several European countries have extended or abolished the statute of limitations for the prosecution of sexual crimes. Such statutes force legal actions (e.g., prosecution of sexual abuse) to be applied within a certain period of time. One of the reasons for the changes in statutes of limitations concerns the idea of repressed memory. We argue that from a psychological standpoint, these law reforms can be detrimental, particularly when they are done to endorse unfounded psychological theories. The validity of testimonies is compromised many years after the alleged facts, and abolishing the statute of limitations increases the chance that even more (false) recovered memories of abuse might enter the courtroom. We propose solutions to these changes such as establishing an independent expert committee evaluating claims of sexual abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, KU Leuven
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University
| | - Olivier Dodier
- Department of Psychology, Literature, Languages and History, Université de Nantes
| | - André Körner
- Hochschule für Gesundheit und Medizin, Medical School Berlin
| | - Ivan Mangiulli
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, KU Leuven
- Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro
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2
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L'amnésie dissociative dans le Trouble de Stress Post-Traumatique: analyse de la validité scientifique d'un phénomène psychologique controversé. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TRAUMA & DISSOCIATION 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejtd.2023.100314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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3
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Mangiulli I, Jelicic M, Patihis L, Otgaar H. Believing in dissociative amnesia relates to claiming it: a survey of people's experiences and beliefs about dissociative amnesia. Memory 2021; 29:1362-1374. [PMID: 34637695 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1987475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Dissociative amnesia is one of the most controversial categories in the field of psychiatry and clinical psychology. Self-reports of dissociative amnesia in the general population, and beliefs about this topic, have so far not been subjected to empirical scrutiny. Here, we surveyed a sample from the general population (N = 1017), revealing that about a tenth (n = 102) claimed to have experienced dissociative amnesia. Some claims pertained to amnesia for traumatic autobiographical experiences (e.g., sexual assault), while other claims reflected memory loss for experiences that can be regarded as non-traumatic or non-stressful (e.g., dissociative amnesia for an anniversary). Importantly, many participants believed in the existence of dissociative amnesia, and those who claimed dissociative amnesia indicated even more belief in this phenomenon than the rest of the sample. Finally, many participants indicated to have at least once claimed to have feigned memory loss in their life, and that they experienced some form of forgetting when trying to retrieve events for which they lied upon. Overall, our findings suggest that claiming dissociative amnesia goes hand in hand with believing in dissociative amnesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Mangiulli
- Faculty of Law, Leuven Institute of Criminology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Forensic Psychology Section, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marko Jelicic
- Forensic Psychology Section, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lawrence Patihis
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Law, Leuven Institute of Criminology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Forensic Psychology Section, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Dodier O. L’amnésie dissociative : limites méthodologiques, limites conceptuelles, et explications alternatives. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2021. [DOI: 10.3917/anpsy1.213.0275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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5
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Otgaar H, Howe ML, Dodier O, Lilienfeld SO, Loftus EF, Lynn SJ, Merckelbach H, Patihis L. Belief in Unconscious Repressed Memory Persists. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 16:454-460. [PMID: 33709851 PMCID: PMC7961636 DOI: 10.1177/1745691621990628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
On the basis of converging research, we concluded that the controversial topic of unconscious blockage of psychological trauma (i.e., repressed memory) remains very much alive in clinical, legal, and academic contexts. In his commentary, Brewin (this issue, p. 443) conducted a cocitation analysis and concluded that scholars do not adhere to the concept of unconscious repression. Furthermore, he argued that previous survey research did not specifically assess unconscious repression. Here, we present critical evidence that runs counter to his claims. First, we inspected his cocitation analysis and found that some scholars support notions that are closely related to unconscious repression. Furthermore, we conducted another analysis on the basis of articles' similarity. Again, we found examples of scholars specifically endorsing unconscious repressed memories. Second, as opposed to what Brewin reports, recent survey research now exists that bears directly on people's beliefs regarding unconscious repression. This work reveals that large percentages of people (e.g., students and eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing [EMDR] clinicians) endorse the concept of unconscious repressed memories. The belief in unconscious repressed memory can continue to contribute to harmful consequences in clinical, legal, and academic domains (e.g., false accusations of abuse).
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London
- Leuvens Institute for Criminology, Faculty of Law, KU Leuven
| | - Mark L. Howe
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London
| | | | | | | | - Steven Jay Lynn
- Laboratory of Consciousness, Cognition, and Psychopathology, Binghamton University
| | - Harald Merckelbach
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University
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6
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Abstract
What does science tell us about memory phenomena such as false and repressed memories? This issue is highly pressing as incorrect knowledge about these memory phenomena might contribute to egregious effects in the courtroom such as false accusations of abuse. In the current article, we provide a succinct review of the scientific nature of false and repressed memories. We demonstrate that research has shown that about 30% of tested subjects formed false memories of autobiographical experiences. Furthermore, this empirical work has also revealed that such false memories can even be implanted for negative events and events that allegedly occurred repeatedly. Concerning the controversial topic of repressed memories, we show that plausible alternative explanations exist for why people claim to have forgotten traumatic experiences; explanations that do not require special memory mechanisms such as the unconscious blockage of traumatic memories. Finally, we demonstrate that people continue to believe that unconscious repression of traumatic incidents can exist. Disseminating scientifically articulated knowledge on the functioning of memory to contexts such as the courtroom is necessary as to prevent the occurrence of false accusations and miscarriages of justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, City University of London, London, UK.,Faculty of Law, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mark L Howe
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, City University of London, London, UK
| | - Lawrence Patihis
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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7
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Dodier O, Patihis L. Recovered memories of child abuse outside of therapy. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Dodier
- Faculté de Psychologie Université de Nantes Nantes France
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Otgaar H, Howe ML, Patihis L, Merckelbach H, Lynn SJ, Lilienfeld SO, Loftus EF. The Return of the Repressed: The Persistent and Problematic Claims of Long-Forgotten Trauma. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2019; 14:1072-1095. [PMID: 31584864 PMCID: PMC6826861 DOI: 10.1177/1745691619862306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Can purely psychological trauma lead to a complete blockage of autobiographical memories? This long-standing question about the existence of repressed memories has been at the heart of one of the most heated debates in modern psychology. These so-called memory wars originated in the 1990s, and many scholars have assumed that they are over. We demonstrate that this assumption is incorrect and that the controversial issue of repressed memories is alive and well and may even be on the rise. We review converging research and data from legal cases indicating that the topic of repressed memories remains active in clinical, legal, and academic settings. We show that the belief in repressed memories occurs on a nontrivial scale (58%) and appears to have increased among clinical psychologists since the 1990s. We also demonstrate that the scientifically controversial concept of dissociative amnesia, which we argue is a substitute term for memory repression, has gained in popularity. Finally, we review work on the adverse side effects of certain psychotherapeutic techniques, some of which may be linked to the recovery of repressed memories. The memory wars have not vanished. They have continued to endure and contribute to potentially damaging consequences in clinical, legal, and academic contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London
- Leuvens Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law, Catholic University of Leuven
| | - Mark L. Howe
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London
| | | | - Harald Merckelbach
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Section of Forensic Psychology, Maastricht University
| | - Steven Jay Lynn
- Laboratory of Consciousness, Cognition, and Psychopathology, Binghamton University
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Dodier O, Patihis L, Payoux M. Reports of recovered memories of childhood abuse in therapy in France. Memory 2019; 27:1283-1298. [PMID: 31389767 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2019.1652654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Recovered memories of abuse in therapy are especially controversial if the clients were not aware they were abused before therapy. In the past, such memory recovery has led to legal action, as well as a debate about whether such memories might be repressed, forgotten, or false memories. More than two decades after the height of the controversy, it is unclear to what degree such memories are still recovered today, and to what extent it occurs in France. In our French survey of 1312 participants (Mage = 33; 53% female), 551 reported having done therapy at some point. Of that 551, 33 (6%) indicated they had recovered memories of abuse in therapy that they did not know about before therapy. Sexual abuse was the most commonly reported type that was recovered in therapy (79%). As in past research, discussing the possibility of repressed memories with therapists was associated with reports of recovered memories of abuse. Surprisingly, memory recovery occurred just as much in behavioural and cognitive therapies as it did in therapies focused on trauma. We found recovered memories in a proportion of clients who began therapy recently. Recovered memories in therapy appears to be an ongoing concern in France.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Dodier
- a CNRS, LAPSCO, Université Clermont Auvergne , Clermont-Ferrand , France
| | - Lawrence Patihis
- b Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi , Hattiesburg , MS , USA
| | - Mélany Payoux
- c Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, Université de Nantes , Nantes , France
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10
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Dodier O. A bibliometric analysis of the recovered memory controversy in the 21st century. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Dodier
- Laboratoire de psychologie sociale et cognitive; Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS; Clermont-Ferrand France
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