Book Review

The Myth of Repressed Memory: False memories and allegations of sexual abuse

N Engl J Med 1995; 333:133-134July 13, 1995

Article

The Myth of Repressed Memory: False memories and allegations of sexual abuse
By Elizabeth Loftus and Katherine Ketcham. 290 pp. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1994. $22.95. ISBN: 0-312-11454-0

Stories about recovered ``memories'' of childhood sexual abuse -- memories supposedly long lost to consciousness and brought to light by techniques such as guided imagery, dream interpretation, and group therapeutic sessions -- have flooded the news these past few years. It has been claimed that millions of women have been victims, and many have been paraded on the daytime talk shows. Those accused of such crimes and their supporters fervently argue that such ``recovered memories'' are all too often tragically wrong.

The Myth of Repressed Memory by Loftus and Ketcham belongs in the latter camp. Loftus has been an inventive and prolific investigator of memory's foibles, including the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. More recently, her research has also shown that it is possible to induce, through questioning, completely false memories of emotionally traumatic events. This book shows the false side of recovered memories, and their horrifying consequences, through the stories of a number of the accusers and accused. Time after time, unhappy, tormented, or just plain uneasy young women are encouraged to dig into their unconsciouses and find the roots of their malaise in acts of childhood abuse. What is even more astonishing is that this abuse often allegedly includes not just rape and sodomization of children as young as two or three but also events that go beyond evidence or believability: repeated stabbings that leave no scars, sacrifice of human infants on a massive scale, and organized satanic cults that seem to enlist almost everyone in town.

Perhaps the most striking such case is that of David Ingram. Ingram was, by all accounts, a perfectly average 41-year-old deputy sheriff, church-goer, and father of five. At a retreat, his 18-year-old daughter was encouraged to recover memories of past abuse by her father. Ingram's initial denial turned into a confession of acts so appalling, and so fantastic, that even the prosecutors became alarmed. They called in Richard Ofshe, a psychologist specializing in cults, to investigate Ingram's confessions of satanic ritual abuse. Ofshe, using the prosecutor's interviewing techniques, got Ingram to ``confess'' to additional abuse of his children -- horrifying scenarios that Ofshe had completely invented.

While unfolding stories such as these, Loftus and Ketcham also relate research showing how suggestion and leading questions can implant memories of traumatic experiences. As Loftus's own work has demonstrated, there seems to be no way to tell these induced memories from the real thing. The authors argue very strongly that, at least insofar as the recovered-memory movement defines them, repressed memories are at best unlikely and at worst a complete myth.

Medical professionals interested in this topic should read further. The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (New York: HarperPerennial, 1988), by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, is often called the bible of the recovered-memory movement. D. Stephen Lindsay and J. Don Read give a masterly, complete, and balanced review of the issues in an article in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology (vol. 8, 1994, pages 281-338, part of a special issue on the topic). They include a Bayesian analysis showing that, even when the estimates proffered by recovered-memory proponents are used, it is likely that recovered memories will implicate more innocent people than guilty ones.

It is unfortunate that the war over so-called repressed or recovered memories has forced the two sides into such unreconcilable positions. Is it possible to concede that there can be amnesia for traumatic events without having to agree that every ``recovered memory'' of childhood sexual abuse is accurate? And can one try to pursue the perpetrators of childhood abuse while still being extremely suspicious of recovered memories -- both because of their unreliability and because of the tragic consequences when they are false? Finding that middle ground is the only way there will be justice for all: for the accusers and the accused and for those truly abused and those guilty of abusing them.

Barry Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205

Citing Articles (1)

Citing Articles

1. 1

   Elizabeth F. Loftus. (1996) The Myth of Repressed Memory and the Realities of Science. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 3:4, 356-362
   CrossRef