Memory Reconstruction

The reconstruction of memory occurs when instead of repressing a memory, we change the facts that are not favorable and replace them, creating a partly false memory. This leads to less reliability, as every time we recall that memory, we recall the last time we remembered it, and not the actual event. This relates to the role of suggestibility as we rely on a false memory, and we are inclined to agree with a persons’ suggestion. I think we also see this more regarding experiences of grief, when we love someone, we tend to remember only the good things about that person by memorializing and over time, forgetting the negative things about the person. We may even try to justify the things that the person does in order to attach a different meaning to the negative emotions. I think often repressing a memory takes much more energy than reconstructing a memory. We often see the attachment of many different emotions to these memories, and reconstructing a memory can cause us to believe something that isn’t true.