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Memory and psychoanalysis: a new look at infantile amnesia and transference
1Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Summary
New research offers alternative explanations for infantile amnesia and transference, drawing from neurobiology and cognitive science. These findings suggest a need to revise these core psychoanalytic concepts.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Psychoanalytic concepts of infantile amnesia and transference are foundational.
- Recent advances in various scientific fields offer new perspectives on memory and psychological development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine psychoanalytic concepts of infantile amnesia and transference.
- To integrate findings from neurobiology, information-processing theory, child development, cognitive-developmental theory, and evolutionary theory.
Main Methods:
- Review of neuroscientific research and psychopathological phenomena (PTSD, child abuse).
- Development of alternative hypotheses for infantile amnesia and transference based on the reviewed literature.
Main Results:
- The proposed hypotheses offer plausible alternative explanations for aspects of infantile amnesia and transference.
- These explanations are grounded in empirical research and theoretical advancements.
Conclusions:
- Neurobiological, information-processing, developmental, cognitive-developmental, and evolutionary findings challenge traditional psychoanalytic views.
- Revisions and redefinitions of infantile amnesia and transference are suggested based on interdisciplinary evidence.
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