On repression, and avoiding red herrings.

Abstract

In this response to Otgaar et al. (in press) we point out that their concern with the notion of unconscious repression is a classic example of a red herring, as it has never been endorsed as an explanation of recovered memories. We also note that Otgaar et al. have misunderstood the purpose of our article (Brewin, Li, Ntarantana, Unsworth, & McNeilis, 2019). Its aim was to demonstrate that many of the claims made by psychologists about the public's views on memory do not rest on sound methodology. Beliefs about repression featured as one example, but it was not our objective to establish what the public do think about repression. We welcome Otgaar et al.'s (in press) additional data but regret that they have repeated the basic error we highlighted, the reliance on a single questionnaire item to assess beliefs about highly complex topics. Nevertheless, their and our findings clearly indicate that understanding of the public's views on repression remains extremely limited, and insufficient to meaningfully contribute to legal processes.On Repression and Red Herrings 3In their commentary Otgaar et al. (in press) make an argument that we view as wholly unsustainable. This argument, first introduced by Loftus (1993), equated the forgetting and subsequent recovery of memories of traumatic events with the psychoanalytic mechanism of repression, a supposedly unconscious form of psychological defense. This was a category error, confusing the observed phenomenon (forgetting of trauma) with a possible mechanism (Brewin & Andrews, 1998;Lindsay & Briere, 1997). It was also a red herring (i.e., an idea that distracts people from the central point being considered), in that no publications by clinicians that endorsed unconscious repression as responsible for this forgetting were cited by Loftus at the time or have come to light subsequently (Brewin, in press). Today there is no debate, either among professional bodies or independent commentators, over the fact that recovered memories of traumatic events may be true, false, or a mixture of the two (Belli, 2012;Lindsay & Read, 1995; McNally & Geraerts, 2009). What mechanisms are responsible remains poorly understood but that question is of more academic than legal interest.

Changing beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia

“…To recap, scholars have sometimes argued that research on the belief in repressed memory is limited as it has exclusively focused on a narrow set of statements (Brewin et al, 2020). In the current studies, we have shown that high agreement ratings exist when a wide variety of statements are used assessing various aspects of repressed memory and dissociative amnesia.…”

“…For one, in Sauerland and Otgaar's (2022) study, there were only 2 statements related to repressed memory that were surveyed at the start and end of the course (i.e., "The mind is capable of unconsciously "blocking out" memories of traumatic events," "A poor memory for childhood events is indicative of a traumatic childhood"). Scholars have criticized past survey work on repressed memory because oftentimes only a small set of belief statements was used to examine repressed memory (Brewin et al, 2020). This is problematic because repressed memory is a complex concept which is difficult to capture in merely one or two statements.…”

Belief in Unconscious Repressed Memory Persists

“…However, an alternative variant of repression presumably happens through conscious control and is sometimes referred to as memory suppression or motivated forgetting (e.g., Anderson & Green, 2001). Brewin, Li, et al (2020) argued that memory suppression serves as a likely candidate for the forgetting of autobiographical memories and their recovery after many years. Nevertheless, no research has convincingly demonstrated memory suppression for autobiographical experiences in the laboratory (Otgaar et al, 2019), let alone for years or decades in everyday life.…”

Beliefs in repressed memory and dissociative amnesia from a cross-cultural lens

“…First, in most of these studies, participants only received one item concerning repressed memory. However, repressed memory is a complex phenomenon which cannot be simply captured by one item (Brewin et al, 2020). Therefore, in the past years, researchers started to provide participants several items tapping into different dimensions and variations of repressed memory to gauge their beliefs.…”