False Memory Syndrome

An Investigation of an Unscientific, Unproven Syndrome

Oct 4, 2009 Neil Brick

The term False Memory Syndrome was created in 1992 by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF). It has been called "a pseudoscientific syndrome."

It has been claimed that the False Memory Syndrome was developed to defend against claims of child abuse. It was described by some as a social phenomenon where some therapists caused patients to invent memories of sexual abuse. Yet research has shown that most delayed memories of childhood abuse are true.

It has been shown in studies that false allegations of childhood sexual abuse are rare, with some studies showing rates as low as one percent and some studies showing slightly higher rates. Children tend to understate rather than overstate the extent of any abuse experienced. Some state that misinformation on the topic of child sexual abuse is widespread and that the media have contributed to this problem by reporting favorably on unproven and controversial claims like the False Memory Syndrome.

Research

It has been stated that false memories are rare. It has been shown that people who recover memories are less suggestible than clinicians have been led to believe by false memory advocates. One research study showed the unlikelihood of being able to plant a false memory of a traumatic event (Pezdek, Hodge, D. (1999) July-August "Planting false childhood memories: The role of event plausibility," Child Development 70(4)). Some have stated that the False Memory Syndrome is not a scientific syndrome.

Brown, Sheflin and Hammond stated, "The hypothesis that false memories can easily be implanted in psychotherapy seriously overstates the available data. Since no studies have been conducted on suggested effects in psychotherapy per se, the idea of iatrogenic suggestion of false memories remains an untested hypothesis."

Corroboration

There is a lot of scientific evidence showing the existence of the phenomenon of recovered memory, which has fairly high corroboration rates. The base rates of memory commission errors have been shown to be quite low, at least in professional trauma treatment. The base rates in adult misinformation studies run between zero and 5 percent for adults and between 3 - 5 percent for children (Brown, Scheflin and Hammond (1998) Memory, Trauma Treatment, And the Law, W. W. Norton, ISBN 0-393-70254-5).

“Despite this documentation for both traumatic amnesia and essentially accurate delayed recall, memory science is often presented as if it supports the view that traumatic amnesia is very unlikely or perhaps impossible and that a great many, perhaps a majority, maybe even all, recovered memories of abuse are false…Yet no research supports such an implication…and a great deal of research supports the premise that forgetting sexual abuse is fairly common and that recovered memories are sometimes essentially true.” (Freyd, J., June 1998, "Science in the Memory Debate" Ethics & Behavior, 8(2), p. 101 - 113).

Controversy

Some have claimed that false memory rates in allegations of abuse may be higher, especially in divorce cases. Some proponents claim this is due to the so-called "Parental Alienation Syndrome," which has been found by several to lack a logical or scientific backing. Other have found allegation rates in divorce cases to be low. "A study of over 9,000 custody/visitation dispute cases found that sexual abuse allegations occurred in 2 percent of contested cases. Such cases involve a variety of accused and accusing parties and are no less likely to be “unfounded” than other sexual abuse reports.” (Thoennes & Tjaden, 1990)

Conclusion

The False Memory Syndrome has been heavily critiqued as a pseudoscientific syndrome. False memories of abuse have been found to be rare in several studies. The phenomenon of recovered memory has solid scientific backing with fairly high corroboration rates.

False Memory Syndrome Facts

Memory & FMS

Freyd, Jennifer J. (1996). Betrayal Trauma - The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-06805-x.

Knopp, Fay Honey (1996). A Primer on the Complexities of Traumatic Memory of Childhood Sexual Abuse - A Psychobiological Approach. Brandon, VT: Safer Society Press. ISBN 1-884444-20-2.

Whitfield M.D., Charles L. (1995). Memory and Abuse - Remembering and Healing the Effects of Trauma. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc. ISBN 1-55874-320-0.

Thoennes, N; Tjaden, P. G. (1990) “The Extent, Nature, and Validity of Sexual Abuse Allegations in Custody/Divorce Disputes,” Child Abuse and Neglect: The International Journal, v14 n2 p151-63.

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Misinformation Concerning Child Sexual Abuse