Тонкое искусство пофигизма

           Butoftenwerunintolifesituationswherepastandpresentdon’tcohere:onsuchoccasions,whatwe’reexperiencinginthemomentfliesinthefaceofeverythingwe’veacceptedastrueandreasonableaboutourpast.Inanefforttoachievecoherence,ourmindwillsometimes,incaseslikethat,inventfalsememories.Bylinkingourpresentexperienceswiththatimaginedpast,ourmindallowsustomaintainwhatevermeaningwealreadyestablished.

           Asnotedearlier,Meredith’sstoryisnotunique.Infact,inthe1980sandearly1990s,hundredsofinnocentpeoplewerewronglyaccusedofsexualviolenceundersimilarcircumstances.Manyofthemwenttoprisonforit.

           Forpeoplewhoweredissatisfiedwiththeirlives,thesesuggestiveexplanations,combinedwiththesensationalizingmedia—therewereveritableepidemicsofsexualabuseandsatanicviolencegoingon,andyoucouldbeavictimtoo—gavepeople’sunconsciousmindstheincentivetofudgetheirmemoriesabitandexplaintheircurrentsufferinginawaythatallowedthemtobevictimsandavoidresponsibility.Repressedmemorytherapythenactedasameanstopulltheseunconsciousdesiresoutandputthemintoaseeminglytangibleformofamemory.

           Thisprocess,andthestateofminditresultedin,becamesocommonthatanamewasintroducedforit:falsememorysyndrome.Itchangedthewaycourtroomsoperate.Thousandsoftherapistsweresuedandlosttheirlicenses.Repressedmemorytherapyfelloutofpracticeandwasreplacedbymorepracticalmethods.