NCJ Number
169126
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 12 Issue: 5 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 631-647
Date Published
1997
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Controversy surrounds the reliability of recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse, and this article examines relevant contentious issues, key scientific questions, and recommendations regarding clinical and research practice and public policy.
Abstract
Professional and public debate about recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse has been divisive, and social perceptions tend to polarize the controversy. Beyond cultural and psychological factors, certain aspects of the recovered memories issue are particularly problematic: (1) child sexual abuse, especially incest, is an intrinsically upsetting topic; (2) longstanding tension exists between experimental and clinical psychology; (3) ways in which critics and proponents of memory recovery techniques use certain key terms differ; (4) differences prevail in cases that critics and proponents of memory recovery techniques have in mind when they talk about recovered memories; and (5) many participants in the debate have some personal involvement in it. From the scientific perspective, more research is needed to understand how and why individuals come to forget and them remember childhood sexual abuse and other trauma, how and under what conditions pseudomemories are formed, and what these phenomena mean for clinical practice. Recommendations for clinical and research practice and public policy focus on vulnerabilities of human memory and complexities of psychotherapy. 32 references and 3 notes