Forgetting and PTSD

Question 1

para 3 - can suppression be adaptive

Answer 1

✅ Motivated Forgetting and Emotion Regulation:
Suppression may protect against psychological distress.

Individuals high in cognitive control are better at intentional forgetting (Fawcett & Taylor, 2008).

✅ Therapeutic applications:
Exposure therapy helps integrate SAMs into VAM — turning involuntary into controllable memories.

Suggests some level of plasticity and modifiability.

❌ Risks of suppression:
Chronic suppression may impair emotional health (Gross, 2002).

PTSD linked to poor memory integration, not successful forgetting

Question 2

Porter et al. (2003)

Answer 2

Traumatic experiences can lead to memory distortions or gaps, even as some fragments remain vivid.