A false memory is a memory of an event that did not actually happen, or is a distortion of an actual experience. False memories can be highly vivid, just like normal memories, and are easy to implant. Often, subjects in psychology tests in whom a false memory has been deliberately implanted will refuse to believe that the memory is false, and will hold it with the same level of confidence as they do accurate memories.
False memories may be created in a number of ways, and the exact mechanism is controversial. Research suggests that at least some of these memories are formed through repetition of an event that the person is not sure occurred: after thinking about and visualizing it repeatedly, the person may begin to remember it as if it had actually happened. If asked about it, the person may confidently recall the event, when in reality it is merely the previous visualizations that make it seem familiar.
False-memory syndrome (FMS) is a hypothesised state of mind where the sufferer has a high number of highly vivid false memories, often of abusive events during their childhood. FMS is not recognised in the DSM-IV.
This has been an important issue in many investigations, including cases of alleged sexual abuse and Satanic ritual abuse. While accepting that not all abuses can be easily proved by external evidence, proponents of the theory of false memory syndrome suggest that it is possible for a person to manufacture false memories, often as the result of other stresses in their life such as anger or peer pressure.
Work investigating this area of psychology is supported by academics, such as Elizabeth Loftus [1], and groups such as the False Memory Syndrome Foundation [1].
In 2002 a group of most of the psychologists from Aarhus University in Denmark signed a statement which said, that memory illusions do exist, and that Danish psychologists who claim otherwise should get their knowledge up-dated or not take on the role as experts in child abuse cases [1]. The group included all the medical psychologists of the university.
