A 30-year-old woman recovers memories of childhood sexual abuse, ...

[melina_rosy]

A 30-year-old woman recovers memories of childhood sexual abuse, the existence of which she was seemingly and previously unaware. Explain what is currently known about the accuracy of recovered memories. Can we determine whether these memories are accurate?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociative identity disorder. How are the two disorders similar? How are they different?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[Bigfoot1984]

Answer to Question 1

A controversial issue in abnormal psychology involves the extent to which memories of early trauma, particularly sexual abuse, is really accurate or not. Some argue that these memories are simply the result of strong suggestions by therapists, others believe they reflect memories that were repressed and must be re-experienced to relieve suffering. It turns out memory can be altered through suggestion, therefore the use of recovered memories legally has been especially problematic. Children in particular may be affected by how questions about past events are phrased. Further research is required to resolve these issues.

Answer to Question 2

DID seems similar in its etiology to PTSD. One perspective suggests that DID is an extreme subtype of PTSD, with a much greater emphasis on the process of dissociation than on symptoms of anxiety, although both are present in each disorder. While a sense of depersonalization or dissociation may be a symptom of PTSD, it would not be adequate for a diagnosis of DID because the other symptoms of a dissociative disorder would not be present. Some evidence also shows that the developmental window of vulnerability to the abuse that leads to DID closes at approximately 9 years of age. After that, DID is unlikely to develop, although severe PTSD might. If true, this is a particularly good example of the role of development in the etiology of psychopathology.