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Motivated forgetting is a theorized psychological behavior in which people may forget unwanted memories, either consciously or unconsciously. [1] It is an example of a defence mechanism, since these are unconscious or conscious coping techniques used to reduce anxiety arising from unacceptable or potentially harmful impulses thus it can be a defence mechanism in some ways. [2]
Loss of painful memories may actually end up causing more harm in some cases. Painful, frightening or even traumatic memories can serve to teach a person to avoid certain situations or experiences. By erasing those memories their adaptive function , to warn and protect individuals may be lost.
While some memories are retained for a lifetime, most memories are forgotten. [3] According to evolutionary psychologists, forgetting is adaptive because it facilitates selectivity of rapid, efficient recollection. [4] For example, a person trying to remember where they parked their car would not want to remember every place they have ever parked.
Due to the elusive nature of involuntary recurrent memories, very little is known about the subjective experience of flashbacks. However, theorists agree that this phenomenon is in part due to the manner in which memories of specific events are initially encoded (or entered) into memory, the way in which the memory is organized, and also the way in which the individual later recalls the event. [5]
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A common symptom of PTA is confusion. The most prominent symptom of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is a loss of memory of the present time. [10] As a result, patients are often unaware of their condition and may behave as if they are going about their regular lives.
Freud explained how the forgetting of multiple events in our everyday life can be consequences of repression, suppression, denial, displacement, and identification. Defense mechanisms occur to protects one's ego so in The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, Freud stated, "painful memories merge into motivated forgetting which special ease". (p.
An episode of Arrested Development called Forget-Me-Now discusses the use of drug-induced amnesia for those who have seen how magicians' tricks are performed. In the PC Game Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010), the player character, Daniel, wakes up with amnesia in the terrifying Castle Brennenburg, and must discover the truth about his memories.