# Recovered momory cause personality disfunction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 15, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084 "2008-08-15T12:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/1 "2008-08-15T12:16:44Z")
I was watching an old Stargate episode where a character called Linea (who was previously a genocidal mass-murderer) loses her memory, and becomes a lovely new person. Then her memory comes back and she has to fight between her new self and her old self. In cases of temporary memory loss (say for a year or so) where a person goes on with their life, and continues to develop as a person, could they have a clash between their “old-self” and “new self” once they regain their memory? For instance, if they feel in love with a black person and then remembered that they are a vicious racist. Or if they were nice to everyone, then remembered that they are a cranky git. My instinct is no, but I was just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/2 "2008-08-15T12:18:04Z")
Sorry this should be in General question. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/3 "2008-08-16T04:19:30Z")
Since the whole concept of recovered/repressed memory has been found wanting, there ain’t a lot to answer this question with. > **[Repressed memory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repressed_memory)** > > Repressed memory is a controversial, and largely scientifically discredited, psychiatric phenomenon which involves an inability to recall autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature. The concept originated in psychoanalytic theory where repression is understood as a defense mechanism that excludes painful experiences and unacceptable impulses from consciousness. Repressed memory is presently considered largely unsupported by research. Sigmund Freud initially While ... ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/4 "2008-08-16T19:27:18Z")
Thats what I get for watching too much TV. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/5 "2008-08-16T21:36:04Z")
I understand also that when twins are born, it isn’t necessarily the case that one of them is evil. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/6 "2008-08-16T21:53:09Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] Since the whole concept of recovered/repressed memory has been found wanting, there ain’t a lot to answer this question with. > **[Repressed memory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repressed_memory)** > > Repressed memory is a controversial, and largely scientifically discredited, psychiatric phenomenon which involves an inability to recall autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature. The concept originated in psychoanalytic theory, where repression is understood as a defense mechanism that excludes painful experiences and unacceptable impulses from consciousness. Repressed memory is presently considered largely unsupported by research. Sigmund Freud initially While ... [/QUOTE] The OP wasn’t talking about repressed memory, but recovered memory. You certainly can recover memory, and retrograde amnesia is a real phenomena. Repressed memory is bunk. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recovered-momory-cause-personality-disfunction/460084/7 "2008-08-17T19:36:47Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] I understand also that when twins are born, it isn’t necessarily the case that one of them is evil. [/QUOTE] Just what we’d expect an evil twin to say!