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   Memory Matters by Ilka Bradshaw
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Memory Matters 
 

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Our memory, whether long term or short term, allows us to retain and store information. Memory is a mysterious concept, with scientists and doctors still trying to understand how and why it works. Most agree, however, that our memories change and alter over time. Indeed, all of us have bad memories that we are happy to forget. Such memories bring back feelings of shame and embarrassment, pain and hurt, or sadness. But what if we could effectively wipe out or erase such memories? Is it possible to simply “wipe the slate clean” and start afresh?


 

A team of Dutch scientists have discovered a drug that they believe causes bad memories to disappear. During trials, the team created a new fearful memory in 60 volunteers by associating pictures of spiders with a mild electric shock. The team then measured the level of fear this memory created when each volunteer saw the spider pictures again. When the team administered the particular drug to a volunteer before reactivating the spider memory, the team found a clear reduction in that volunteer’s fear level of spiders. The drug effectively reduced the impact of the volunteer’s unpleasant memories.

 

The Dutch scientists are very excited by their findings. At present, doctors commonly use the drug to treat high blood pressure. However, they now think that the drug could also help people suffering from severe trauma. This could include the emotional crisis people experience as a result of a natural disaster, or a shocking event such as a train or plane crash.

But behind the Dutch scientists’ delight at this new scientific breakthrough, there are a number of important moral issues. Are we entering new, dangerous and hitherto unexplored territory? Is it right for doctors to have the authority to alter people’s memories in this way? Are painful memories a part of who we are as emotionally intelligent and thoughtful human beings?

Many psychologists think that it is important for people to have a choice about how they deal with bad memories. They point out that memory is quite easy to change. Memory, they say, is in fact a malleable concept. Others, however, vehemently disagree. They argue that memory is essential to a person’s identity, and that erasing bad memories takes away an important part of him and how he chooses to act. This school of thought also thinks that it is bad for people to try to forget collective memories that remind them of shameful episodes of the past. As the philosopher, George Santayana puts it, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. 


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Glossary

Volunteer (n)
someone who offers to do something without being paid or forced to.

 

Trauma (n)
a very bad experience that leaves someone shocked and upset.

 

Malleable (adj)
easily changed and influenced.

 
  Last Updated ( Monday, 16 November 2009 14:53 )