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Remembering Our Childhood: How Memory Betrays Us
How reliable is memory? For most of us, accurately remembering the details of a novel we read six months ago, or a conversation we had last week, is a difficult task. How much more daunting, then, to recall events from early childhood? This is not an academic question. The alarming rise, over
the past two decades, in criminal convictions for child abuse based on "recovered" memories makes clear the need for a solid, scientifically based understanding of the nature and trustworthiness of childhood memories.
In this fascinating and often disturbing book, Karl Sabbagh looks at psychologists' present understanding of how memory works--and fails to work--particularly in terms of childhood recollections. He shows that, in cases of "recovered memories," the unreliability of memory has had tragic
consequences. Many people firmly believe that they can recall scenes from their infancy. But what does science tell us about the childhood memory? Through closely examining memories culled from his interviews, as well as psychologists' and neuroscientists' studies of memory, it becomes clear that,
whatever individuals might claim, memories of the first two years of our lives are simply not accessible to us. Even later memories are fragile, yielding to suggestion and our desire for neat stories. Sabbagh goes on to examine real cases where causal remarks by children in nurseries, memories
"recovered" in therapy, wild claims of satanic rituals, animal sacrifices, and grisly infant murders, have produced wrongful arrests and destroyed careers and families.
Drawing on extensive research, including transcribed interviews presented at court, Remembering Our Childhood presents a scientific understanding of memory and a compelling argument for the critical role of scientific evidence in cases involving the memory of witnesses.
the past two decades, in criminal convictions for child abuse based on "recovered" memories makes clear the need for a solid, scientifically based understanding of the nature and trustworthiness of childhood memories.
In this fascinating and often disturbing book, Karl Sabbagh looks at psychologists' present understanding of how memory works--and fails to work--particularly in terms of childhood recollections. He shows that, in cases of "recovered memories," the unreliability of memory has had tragic
consequences. Many people firmly believe that they can recall scenes from their infancy. But what does science tell us about the childhood memory? Through closely examining memories culled from his interviews, as well as psychologists' and neuroscientists' studies of memory, it becomes clear that,
whatever individuals might claim, memories of the first two years of our lives are simply not accessible to us. Even later memories are fragile, yielding to suggestion and our desire for neat stories. Sabbagh goes on to examine real cases where causal remarks by children in nurseries, memories
"recovered" in therapy, wild claims of satanic rituals, animal sacrifices, and grisly infant murders, have produced wrongful arrests and destroyed careers and families.
Drawing on extensive research, including transcribed interviews presented at court, Remembering Our Childhood presents a scientific understanding of memory and a compelling argument for the critical role of scientific evidence in cases involving the memory of witnesses.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Karl Sabbagh
27 books23 followersKarl Sabbagh, founder and managing director of Skyscraper Publications, has written nearly a dozen books, ranging across topics as diverse as architecture, psychology, history, mathematics, fraud, Victorian boys’ papers, and the Middle East. Some of his books are derived from major television documentary series he produced and directed; others are pieces of original non-fiction for a general readership.
From 2010 to 2012, he was managing director of Hesperus Press, an independent British publisher of minor classics, fiction in translation, and some original non-fiction. While at Hesperus, he acquired the UK rights to The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, which has so far sold over 500,000 copies in the UK alone.
Skyscraper's unique programme draws on Karl's extensive experience as both author and publisher.
From 2010 to 2012, he was managing director of Hesperus Press, an independent British publisher of minor classics, fiction in translation, and some original non-fiction. While at Hesperus, he acquired the UK rights to The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, which has so far sold over 500,000 copies in the UK alone.
Skyscraper's unique programme draws on Karl's extensive experience as both author and publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 12, 2012
This book was interesting, to a point. Mr. Sabbagh studied psychology in college, and I suppose he is therefore as qualified as I am to write a book on memory.
What he does do well comes in the beginning of the book. Sabbagh presents his case that there is no such thing as an "unknown" or hidden memory. First, he says, if something traumatic happened to us before the age of two, the changes are slim to none that we will remember it, because we didn't have the verbal skills - the words - to express what was happening. Second, if something traumatic happened after the age of two, we might repress it, but it is impossible to completely hide it. He does NOT believe in hypnotic therapy, and calls therapists who try to uncover the hidden sexual abuse experienced at the hand of a relative as an excuse for current poor mental health pure quackery. Unfortunately, there are plenty of quack-y therapists out there wreaking havoc and tearing families apart, so buyer beware!
After he makes his point, however, Sabbagh loses focus and becomes not much better than the author of tabloid trash. I'd place this somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but the video below was interesting, so I'll give the guy a 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...#!
What he does do well comes in the beginning of the book. Sabbagh presents his case that there is no such thing as an "unknown" or hidden memory. First, he says, if something traumatic happened to us before the age of two, the changes are slim to none that we will remember it, because we didn't have the verbal skills - the words - to express what was happening. Second, if something traumatic happened after the age of two, we might repress it, but it is impossible to completely hide it. He does NOT believe in hypnotic therapy, and calls therapists who try to uncover the hidden sexual abuse experienced at the hand of a relative as an excuse for current poor mental health pure quackery. Unfortunately, there are plenty of quack-y therapists out there wreaking havoc and tearing families apart, so buyer beware!
After he makes his point, however, Sabbagh loses focus and becomes not much better than the author of tabloid trash. I'd place this somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but the video below was interesting, so I'll give the guy a 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...#!
January 22, 2013
I don't much to say in reaction about the book, except that for a while at the beginning I had thought that the author was an academic who was a good writer and good explainer. Whether or not that speaks well of the author is for you to decide, but it certainly means that this fits in with much of my other reading.
But I do have to react to things I learned in this book. To wit (Some) psychotherapist are absolutely, completely, mind mindbogglingly insane. How can these people be brain analysts when they have no clue how the brain works. Some apparently believe (I don't know how) that when your brain can't handle the emotional power of a traumatic memory (instead of getting PTSD because, you know, that's how the brain works) they think that the memory is erased from the brain but is stored in the body, and thus recoverable. I have no clue how the simple neurons that send pain and other feelings back to our brain could hold memories, but that's another issue entirely (Or are they taking muscle memory over-literally?). Of the process of 'recovering' such memories, one psychotherapist said "Women often find [one square inch to reclaim] behind their knees or on their hands or in their hair. Every week you pay attention to the square inch, like it, admire it, buy it a present." Because, apparently, not only does it have copies or your memories, but it's a full blown person that enjoys gifts. But that's not the insane thing, the insane thing is that it might be stored in your hair. Which is dead. Which also gets cut fairly frequently such that the vast majority of women won't have any of the same hair left from their early childhood when they go to these psychotic psychotherapists twenty years after events allegedly occurred. 'cause yeah, absolutely nuts.
But I do have to react to things I learned in this book. To wit (Some) psychotherapist are absolutely, completely, mind mindbogglingly insane. How can these people be brain analysts when they have no clue how the brain works. Some apparently believe (I don't know how) that when your brain can't handle the emotional power of a traumatic memory (instead of getting PTSD because, you know, that's how the brain works) they think that the memory is erased from the brain but is stored in the body, and thus recoverable. I have no clue how the simple neurons that send pain and other feelings back to our brain could hold memories, but that's another issue entirely (Or are they taking muscle memory over-literally?). Of the process of 'recovering' such memories, one psychotherapist said "Women often find [one square inch to reclaim] behind their knees or on their hands or in their hair. Every week you pay attention to the square inch, like it, admire it, buy it a present." Because, apparently, not only does it have copies or your memories, but it's a full blown person that enjoys gifts. But that's not the insane thing, the insane thing is that it might be stored in your hair. Which is dead. Which also gets cut fairly frequently such that the vast majority of women won't have any of the same hair left from their early childhood when they go to these psychotic psychotherapists twenty years after events allegedly occurred. 'cause yeah, absolutely nuts.
July 25, 2011
Can't really remember what it was about. Not a page-turner.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews