In psychology, false memory syndrome (FMS) is a proposed condition in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by what are believed to be false memories of psychological trauma, recollections which are strongly believed but factually contested by the accused. Peter J. Freyd originated the term partly to explain what he said was a false accusation of sexual abuse made against him by his daughter Jennifer Freyd and his False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF) subsequently popularized the concept. The principle that individuals can hold false memories and the role that outside influence can play in their formation is widely accepted by scientists, but there is debate over whether this effect can lead to the kinds of detailed memories of repeated sexual abuse and significant personality changes (i.e. cutting off family members) typical of cases that FMS has historically been applied to. However FMS has not been recognized as a psychiatric illness in any medical manuals including the ICD-10, ICD-11, or the DSM-5.
False memory syndrome is argued to be the result of recovered memory therapy, a highly contested term defined by the FMSF in the early 1990s which is not widely accepted among psychologists or psychiatrists, that groups together a wide range of commonplace therapeutic practices with fringe therapy methods, all of which FMS proponents argue are prone to creating confabulations. The most influential figure in the genesis of the theory is psychologist Elizabeth Loftus.
Definition
False memory syndrome is a proposed condition in which a person's identity and interpersonal relationships center on a memory of a traumatic experience that the accused claims never happened but which the purported victim strongly believes occurred.
The FMS concept is controversial, and neither the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders nor the International Classification of Diseases include it. FMSF member Paul R. McHugh, among other supporters of the False Memory Syndrome construct, has suggested that the term was not adopted into the fourth version of the manual because the pertinent committee was, according to McHugh, being headed by believers in recovered memory. Those involved in the process of editing and publishing DSM-IV have rejected this accusation and characterized McHugh's claim as conspiratorial, noting that the most recent edition of the International Classification of Diseases similarly chose not to include False Memory Syndrome while including Dissociative Amnesia.
Recovered memory therapy
Recovered memory therapy is a term coined by skeptics of the accuracy of previously dissociated memories to describe the therapeutic processes and methods that they believe create false memories and false memory syndrome. These methods include hypnosis, sedatives, journaling, asking a client about potential childhood abuse, group therapy, looking at childhood photos, probing questions and any kind of psychoanalytically oriented therapy, especially where the therapist believes repressed memories of traumatic events are the cause of their client's problems. The term is not listed in DSM-V or used by any mainstream formal psychotherapy modality, which has led to accusations that the term is little more than a pejorative.
That such techniques have been used in the past is undeniable. However, both the appropriateness of some of the techniques and the extent to which they caused a supposed epidemic of false memories is highly contested.