The Validity of Recovered Memories Essay Example for Free

The Validity of Recovered Memories Essay The sudden recovery of repressed memories from a traumatic event such as childhood sexual abuse can be both validating and confusing for clients that are seeking help with various problems. These new memories might be able to help client identify the cause of their feelings and issues that are affecting their life. However for others it can be a very difficult time because of the conflicting emotions about the abuser. Worst of all when dealing with the recovery of repressed memories they may be all together false. The accuracy of recovered memories in regards to sexual abuse is low and can come with significant consequences. These false memories can be very harmful to the client as well as anyone falsely accused of sexual abuse. In the late nineteenth century Sigmund Freud began using the term repression to explain how memories of a traumatic event can be inaccessible for a period of time and then return at a later date sometimes suddenly while during other times slowly developing over a period of time into a more clear memory. It was believed that repressed memories or motivated forgetting was a defense mechanism for people who needed to protect themself from the harmful and painful memories of a traumatic experience (Boag, 2006). More recently repressed memories being recovered about childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has caused more studies to be conducted to determine if the memories being recovered are valid or if false memories are be produced due to the fact that â€Å"human memories are vulnerable to distortion, that illusory memories can be created and therapies designed to recover memories of repressed abuse may inadvertently foster false memories of trauma† (Clancy, Schacter, McNally, Pitman, 2000, p. 26) Some therapist believes that memories that have been repressed can be successfully recovered with therapy and that these memories accurately portray the past events to the extent that legal action can be taken. Some states have even ratified laws to accommodate the recovery of repressed memories so that believed offender of CSA can be prosecuted once the client has recovered their memory of the traumatic event (Partlett Nurcombe, 1998). These memories can be recovered using various therapies such as hypnosis, dream interpretation, guided imagery and truth serum. Many of the therapies used for recovering repressed memories include having the client  in a relaxed state so that the memories can then be recalled more effectively. However a fallacy can occur when trying to help a client recover a repressed memory. If a therapist explains how a type of therapy such as hypnosis is helpful in recovering memories of CSA the client may then remember such instances of abuse simply because th ey believe the therapy works, so it does. ***As with any type of memory recovered memories are also subject to corruption and can vary from partially true to completely false. Recovered memories can be a fabrication of events and details that never actually took place. Because of these false memories being about such extreme information such as CSA an organization called False Memory Foundation was created in 1992 to help those who have been accused of such acts. The foundation will help the accused get in touch with attorneys that specialize in cases regarding repressed and recovered memories (Lein, 1999). For example a women’s recovered memory of being forced to drink blood as a child was later discovered to be nothing more than her drinking from a communion cup as a child. The wine she drank was explained to her as the blood of Christ when going to church and as a child thought the wine to be of real blood. This caused what appeared to be a traumatic memory but turned out to be a memory that was explained easily and while the memory was true the actual act of drinking blood was not (Pope Brown, 1996). At times the memories that are recovered are later found to be true with evidence from an outside source such as collaboration from another family member that was present at the time of the abuse or documentation such as diary’s kept by the abuser. Currently there is not a clear black and white understanding of recovered memories so theses type of therapies will continued to be practiced but should be done so cautiously. Not all memories recovered are false making it difficult for some to decide how they feel about the issue of repressed and recovered memories. I believe that memories can be forgotten and later recalled with prompting from exposure to an outside stimulus that brings the memory to the surface again. However because of the number of ways a memory can be corrupted I am forced to doubt the validity of recovered memories. Without substantiated proof that a memory that has been recovered is true I feel it would be unjust to presume that memory is truly factual, especially when accusation  of CSA can be so traumatic for not only the client but for their family as well. In most cases clients accuse their fathers of the assault which result in disruption of the family and for some court cases (Groman, 2008). The practice of therapist trying to help clients recover repressed memories can become unethical extremely quickly depending on how the therapy progresses. Therapists have been sued and found guilty of implanting false memories (Stocks, 1998). It is important the therapist use open ended questions that allow the client to proceed with the sessions as they see fit rather than using suggestive or leading questions (Holmes, 2006). â€Å"Clients can be asked if they had any experiences in childhood that they found sexually inappropriate, uncomfortable, or frightening† (Pope Brown, 1996, p. 158). However informing a client that their symptoms present in a way that the therapist believes the client has been a victim of CSA is a leading statement and can begin an unethical path to false recovered memories. Participation in survival groups can also cause these false memories of CSA. These memories appear to be real to the client however groups can cause conformity and may be causing false memories in the absence of any real CSA memories to be recovered(Stocks, 1998). Asch (1956) also demonstrated how groups can cause conformity to the point that members will make reports that are inconsistent with observable facts. Also with the therapist being in a position of authority clients can feel the desire to please their therapist and will push them self to remember the tragic memory believed to be repressed in order to satisfy the therapist. Having a therapist in anyway push or persuade a client in to believing that they have repressed memories of CSA or any other repressed memory that needs to be recovered is extremely unethical due to the highly damaging effects this can have on the client’s life. Because of these and other ethical concerns some organizations have decided to create a code of ethics in regards to repressed and recovered memories. This code of ethics gives therapist a place to seek help when ethical dilemmas arise. Giving therapist a variety of choices and steps they can take if presented with such a case (Pettifor, Crozier, Ch ew, 2001). While it is important for people who have either actually repressed a memory of CSA or have been afraid to come forward before that point to have the ability to peruse their offender in court it is also important to remember  the consequences of false memories. When a client recovers a false memory of CSA not only will the client have to deal with the emotions that come with that false memory but they can also become cut off from their family. For some the false memory has become so over whelming that they begin to hurt themselves with suicidal thoughts, self-mutilation, sleep disorders, and nightmares in an attempt to handle the information they have recovered and perceive as true. These symptoms appear to lessen after terminating therapy (Stocks, 1998) Along with the client the accused person must also deal with ramifications of the false memories. The accused can be taken to court and put in jail if found guilty. Because of the lack of imperial data supporting that a significant number of recovered memories are indeed factual I find myself unable to support a therapy that can be so damaging to everyone involved from the client, to therapist and the family of both the client and the therapist. If false memories are produced and legal action is taken against the presumed abuser or the therapist for implanting false memories regardless if it was done purposefully it can cause damaging consequences for all parties involved. References Asch, S. E. (t956). Studies of independence and conformity: 1. A minority of one against a unanimous majority. Psychological Monographs, 70(9), 1-70. Boag, S. (2006). Freudian repression, the common view, and pathological science. Review of General Psychology, 10(1), 74-86. Clancy, S. A., Schacter, D. L., McNally, R. J., Pitman, R. K. (2000). False recognition in women reporting recovered memories of sexual abuse. Psychological Science, 11(1), 26-31. Gorman, G. (2008). The recovered memory controversy—A new perspective. European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 8(1), 22-31. Holmes, L. (May 06, 2006). The debate over recovered memories In About.com. Retrieved December 3, 2012, from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/dissociative/a/dabaterec.htm. Lein, J. (1999). Recovered memories: context and controversy. Social Work, 44(5), 481-484. Partlett, D.F., Nurcombe, B. (1998). Recovered memories of child sexual abuse and liability: Society, Science, and the law in a comparative setting. Psychology, Publice Policy, and Law, 4(4), 1253-1306. Pettifor, J., Crozier, S., Chew, J. (2001). Recovered memories: Ethical Guidelines to Support Professionals. Journal of child Sexual abuse, 10(2), 1. Pope, K. S., Brown, L. S. (1996). Clinical work with people who report recovered memories. In Recovered memories of abuse: Assessment, therapy, forensics (pp. 145-205). Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association. Stocks, J.T. (1998). Recovered memory therapy: A dubious practice technique. Social Work, 43(5), 423-436.

History of Vampirism :: Vampire Vampires

"Forgotten through the fabric of space and time are the children of the night" Anonymous. Although the mere sound of vampirism, when uttered in the drenches of the darkest corners of the human soul can spark tepidity and obscurities as to its origins accompanied by the mystifying attraction that compels individuals to adhere to the often times fallacious discernments which the terminology conveys, it is a matter of personal introspection which enables one to really grasp the epistomological aspect of vampirism. Historically, beliefs in vampirism has existed throughout the primordial period, and the superstition behind it was only intensified during the rule of Vlad Dracula. Apparently, it was Vlad the impaler who had anthromorphosized vampirism into the black, blood-lusting seductor as it is portrayed today. Blood is the quin-essential molecule predominantly necessary as the pervious substance that upon transfer from on individual to another possesses the ability to either take life or give life. This is very important symbolistically due to the inherent nature of the substance. Nowadays, with the advent of modern technological advances blood can be defined scientifically as an interstitial fluid that's characteristic of a connective tissue which contained glycoproteins, lipoproteins, oligosaccharides, and conceivably other chains of carbohydrates which are essential to the transport of nutrients and oxygen to and fro --- in order to supply our cells and tissues with adequate amount of nutrition for metabolic and life-sustaining or life-proliferating processes. With the latter known information, it's more than enough detail that can last a lifetime for those individuals interested in becoming hematologists. So to return to the vampiristic misconceptions that society seems to stigmatize with the living undead "nosferatu" bloodsuckers whatever vocabularistic description one seems fit to coin in association with these mythologic creatures. It seems that there's an equivocal understanding of these creatures from the darkness of our hearts. First misconception is to assume that threre exist a race of creatures or subterranean humans known as vampires. To denounce this premise lets suppose that they really do exist. Well if the latter premise is true, and since these creatures are nascent since the beginning of the creation of the earth, then why hasn't there been irrefutable evidence upon the capture and attainment of one of these supposedly thriving creature? It would seem that the only plausible conclusion is that there is no evidence that hints on the existence of such a race of creatures(or heterogenic-humans).

Cultural Destruction Essay

Development of society has forced the Native culture to vanish due to the break their tradition has undergone in the past. The Natives were forced to adapt the white tradition thinking it would benefit them in the long-run. Both â€Å"The Loons† by Margaret Laurence and â€Å"Compatriots† by Emma Lee Warrior portray similar messages about the Natives. The main characters Hilda and Vanessa represent ignorance because of their stereotypical nature towards the culture. However, as Vanessa matures she goes through a realization and understands the sorrow and pain of Piquette and her tradition other than herself. Vanessa’s final understanding of Piquette’s life and culture symbolizes the loons. Both short stories reveal the lack of knowledge and understanding the white society knows about the Natives. The perception that Vanessa classifies Piquette as shows how ignorant and narrow-minded she is as a child. The knowledge young Vanessa has about the Natives are based on stereotypes from her peers, which only consists of their physical appearance and territory. â€Å"It seems to me that Piquette must be in the same way a daughter of the forest, a kind of junior prophetess of the wilds, who might impart me, if I took the right approach, some of the secrets which she undoubtedly knew-where the whirlpool made her nest, how the coyote reared her young, or whatever it was that it said in Hiawatha† (Laurence 112). This description of Native life shows the reader that Vanessa really has no clue what Piquette’s life is like, she may live in a forest but her secrets are dark and deep. Vanessa thinks that if she leaves Piquette with a good first impression then she’d reveal those secrets to her. Young Vanessa most likely picked up this stereotypical opinion from her surroundings, which is seemingly a vision from the white society’s point of view. However, Vanessa’s perspective is limited because she is born as part of the white culture. Due to Piquette constantly brushing Vanessa aside when she attempts to be friendly kills Vanessa’s beliefs to what it means to be a Native. In addition, Hilda as well shows ignorance towards the Natives. Hilda also has an ignorant view of the Native culture. Hilda is anxious to learn about the Indians and their tradition as she follows Lucy around seeking for â€Å"real† Native experiences. She searches for Helmut in hopes of fulfilling her desire to understand the complex history and modern day reconstruction of the Native culture. â€Å"’I want to see him,’ Hilda said, ’I heard about him and I read a book he wrote. He seems to know a lot about the Indians, and he’s been accepted into their religious society. I hope he can tell me things I can take home. People in Germany are really interested in Indians. They even have clubs’† (Warrior 171-172). Hilda believes that Helmut knows a lot of information about the Native’s lifestyle due to the fact that he wrote a book about them and also dresses like them. Her being narrow-minded blocks the true perception of Helmut being phony because the Native’s themselves are not concerned of their own culture. â€Å"Shit, that guy’s just a phony. How could anybody turn into something else? Huh? I don’t think I could turn into a white man if I tried all my life. They wouldn’t let me, so how does that German think he can be an Indian- they’re crazy† (Warrior 174). This statement proves the inequality in our society between the Natives and whites, the option of ethnic change remains both socially and politically acceptable for those with privilege and power only. Although, young Vanessa and Hilda are perceived as ignorant, young Vanessa has an epiphany at the end of the story. As Vanessa matures, she goes through a sudden realization of everything that happened at Diamond Lake during that summer with Piquette. Many things has cause Vanessa’s final understanding of Piquette’s struggles as she recognizes her father’s effort to try to open up her perspective to the bigger world when she was a child, forcing her to leave her boundaries due to Piquette’s stubbornness to express herself. The significance of her father’s effort becomes valuable to Vanessa when she returns to Diamond Lake and sees the changes. â€Å"The small pier which my father had built was gone, and in its place there was a large and solid pier built by the government, for Galloping Mountain was now a national park, and Diamond Lake had been renamed Lake Wapakata, for it was felt that an Indian name would have a greater appeal to tourists† (Laurence 119). The government’s idealization of  the lake shows how their ignorance connects with young Vanessa visualizing of Piquette as the â€Å"daughter of the forest†. Although, Vanessa’s knowledge of Piquette’s life is much clearer, she still doesn’t understand the Native culture. Vanessa also realizes that trying to gain more knowledge and understanding about the Native culture through Piquette won’t get her anywhere because Piquette is as clueless as her. She accepts that her understanding towards the tradition is not going anywhere further than what the white society views it. However, Vanessa acknowledges the effects the white society has done to the Tonnerres’ family and the Natives. Piquette had the mindset of an adult while growing up due to the struggles her family has undergone. â€Å"’The mother’s not there,’ my father replied. ‘She took off a few years back. Can’t say I blame her. Piquette cooks for them, and she says Lazarus would never do anything for himself as long as she’s there† (Laurence 110). The effects of hatred and discrimination they’ve gone through drove them into a dark hole of poverty causing Piquette’s mother to leave, which fully shaped her life. To cease ra cism, she marries a white man to attempt to acquire identity. â€Å"For the merest instant, then, I saw her. I really did see her, for the first and only time in all the years we had both lived in the same town. Her defiant face, momentarily, became unguarded and unmasked, and in her eyes there was a terrifying hope† (Laurence 117). Piqutte desperately tries to fit in with the white community that constantly rejects her and as a result, Piquette surrenders herself to them by marrying a white man to satisfy her craving to belong in the society. Also, another reason she marries a white man is because she refuses to let her children to go through the same treatment she experienced as a child. However, her husband either left her or she left him, which drove her to alcoholism. Vanessa uses the loons as a symbol to represent the Native culture and Piquette’s life. Vanessa uses the loons’ sadness and disappearance as a metaphor for Piquette’s life. The government destroying the loons’ natural habitat represents the white society invading the Native’s territory. The government spoils the wilderness, the most important thing they should value. â€Å"It seemed to me now that in some unconscious and totally unrecognised way,  Piquette might have been the only one, after all, who had heard the crying of the loons† (Laurence 120). The white society misunderstood Piquette and her culture instead of embracing them. Piqutte is the only one who understood the crying of the loons due to the similar struggle they’re going through. â€Å"Perhaps they had gone away to some far place of belonging. Perhaps they had been unable to find such a place, and had simply died out, having ceased to care any longer whether they lived or not† (Laurence 120). The loons either died or left Diamond Lake trying to find another place to fulfill their needs because they’re forced to leave the society by ignorant people, just like Piquette and the Natives. In conclusion, the Native culture in today’s society is scattered due to the destruction the culture experienced in the past. The white culture thought it was a good idea to get rid of the Natives thinking it’ll help them, but in reality it just made many lives miserable. People are trying to revive the culture by learning about the tradition, but since it wasn’t passed down to generations, people only practice the information they think they know.

Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music...

Jamaican Patois and the Power of Language in Reggae Music Introduction Creole languages are found all over the world on every continent. When two or more languages come into contact to form a new language a Creole language is born. Some type of human upheaval that forces people to find a way to communicate, without using their own languages, stimulates the creation of a Creole language. In the case of Creole languages in the Caribbean, the upheaval is the past history of slavery. Most Creole languages are based on one language. In Jamaica the African slaves were thrown into a situation where the only common means of communication was English, or at least broken English, therefor Jamaican Creole has a majority of its roots in†¦show more content†¦Language in Jamaica today reflects the history of the country’s interaction with a variety of cultures and languages from many ethnic, linguistic, and social backgrounds. Aside from the Arawaks, the original inhabitants of Jamaica, all people were exiles or children of exiles. Over 90% of the 2.5 million people living in Jamaica today are descendants of slaves brought from western Africa by the British. The local Jamaican language is a reflection of a history of contact with a variety of speakers, but the official language remains to be Standard English (Pryce, 1997). The most influential speakers were immigrants from Africa and Europe. Kwa, Manding, and Kru are amongst the variety of prominent African languages apparent in Jamaican history. Early Modern English was brought to the Caribbean by sailors, soldiers, indentured servants, convicts, and settlers (lower-class whites) in the form of regional and non-standard dialects. For the most part Early Modern English was highly conservative (Lalla and D’Costa, 1989). 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