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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | 616.8582239 F | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
This book lays bare the logic of forgotten abuse. Psychologist Jennifer Freyd's breakthrough theory explaining this phenomenon shows how psychogenic amnesia not only happens but, if the abuse occurred at the hands of a parent or caregiver, is often necessary for survival. Freyd's book will give embattled professionals, beleaguered abuse survivors, and the confused public a new, clear understanding of the lifelong effects and treatment of child abuse.
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
A cognitive psychologist heats up the debate about recovered memories of childhood abuse by presenting her theory of why and how such memories may be repressed. Freyd (Psychology/Univ. of Oregon) argues that the childhood traumas that are most likely to be forgotten are those in which betrayal is a central factor. According to her betrayal trauma theory, forgetting certain kinds of betrayal, such as sexual abuse by a parent or trusted caretaker, is an adaptive behavior, for by blocking out knowledge of the abuse the child aligns with the caregiver and thus ensures his or her own survival. Such information blockage is not unique to childhood sexual abuse, the author argues, but a common response to everyday betrayals by trusted individuals, be they spouses or bosses or other authority figures. Freyd cites numerous studies to back her assertion that the forgetting and later remembering of childhood sexual abuse is real and well documented, and she illustrates the phenomenon with extensive excerpts from the recollections of Ross Cheit, a college professor whose recovered memories of sexual abuse by an administrator at a summer camp were subsequently corroborated. To explain the underlying cognitive mechanisms, Freyd describes research that she is conducting with both college students and clinical populations. While not directly tackling the issue of whether memories of childhood abuse may be false, Freyd offers support to those who claim they are real by rejecting the view that memory repression is impossible or implausible. In an afterword, she acknowledges the role that her private life has played in her development of betrayal trauma theory and notes that her parents are founding members of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (which supports parents whose children have accused them of sexual abuse on the basis of recovered memories). Although Freyd argues persuasively, it seems unlikely that her theory will end the debate or that its critics will disregard her personal history in considering its validity. (20 line illustrations)
Choice Review
Freyd questioned why children who were sexually abused and betrayed repress such happenings, only to recall them years later. She postulates that this is because of betrayal trauma; the child, fearful of antagonizing the adults involved, finds it more advantageous to be blind to the betrayal and even to repress it. For her the repressed memory debate should not focus on whether repressed memories can be forgotten and later remembered, but whether the individual was or was not sexually abused. Like so many involved in the discussion, Freyd is not just a therapist and researcher, but also in her own mind a victim of child abuse later recalled. This is mentioned only incidentally in passing at the end of the book, but it is important to understand where she is coming from. In general her discussion is dispassionate and cautious, and her theory easy to comprehend. Some definition of what constitutes sexual abuse and levels of it might help explain why some children dissociate (do not integrate thoroughly thoughts, feelings, and experiences into the stream of consciousness and memory). All levels. V. L. Bullough University of Southern California
Table of Contents
| 1 Betrayal Blindness |
| 2 Conceptual Knots |
| 3 Context and Controversy |
| 4 Why Forget? |
| 5 Ways of Forgetting |
| 6 Testable Predictions |
| 7 Creating Connections |
| AfterwordReferences |
| Acknowledgments |
| Index |
