ARE MEMORIES FACTS? ARTICLE 1 ( MENTAL HEALTH )

Article 1

ARE MEMORIES FACTS?

So the ideas that we have about ourselves are often based on our memory. However, memories are not always an accurate record of events. Several people who witness the same event are likely to give different accounts of what they think happened . Often we can’t be sure whether we can remember an actual event itself or the way that this event has been told and retold.

Our recall of the past is never perfect , partly because what we remember is based on what we understand was happening at the time. This is particularly true of events in early childhood , when our memories were stored with the limited understanding that we had of the world then.

Furthermore, as we learned in the previous articles, the mood we are in also influences the way that we see things . If we are depressed , then we interpret a situation very negatively , and it is the negative interpretation of events that we will remember. So our memories are always partly a reconstruction of the past rather than being a completely accurate record of events.

I will complete in article 2 soon.