"Bad" Mothers: The Politics of Blame Re: Radio Doug

Miles Jackson cqmv at pdx.edu
Mon Mar 31 17:16:55 PST 2003


On Mon, 31 Mar 2003, RE wrote:


> In sessions
> I've had patients broach a difficult, important subject and then forget
> about what they had been talking about ten minutes later, or else forget
> about it by a session the next day, at the same time complaining of feeling
> "foggy-headed" and the like. To try to talk about this in any way other
> than repression -- out of control, motivated forgetting that crudely
> protects the individual -- is absurd. If it's hard to study, that doesn't
> mean it doesn't happen.
> Randy
>

I agree. There is some pretty convincing research that supports your observation that motivated forgetting is a common defense mechanism. But this example is more the exception than the rule when it comes to scientific tests of psychodynamic ideas.

Miles



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