1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910828550403321

Autore

Draaisma Douwe

Titolo

Forgetting : Myths, Perils and Compensations / / Douwe Draaisma

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven, CT : , : Yale University Press, , [2015]

©2015

ISBN

0-300-21395-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (283 p.)

Classificazione

PSY008000PSY023000

Disciplina

153.1/25

Soggetti

Memory

Recollection (Psychology)

Cognitive psychology

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

"Originally published in Dutch by Historische Uitgeverij as Vergeetboek"--T. p. verso.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Forgetting: An Introduction -- CHAPTER ONE: First Memories: Islands in the Stream of Forgetting -- CHAPTER TWO: Why We Forget Dreams -- CHAPTER THREE: In Memory of Henry M. -- CHAPTER FOUR: The Man Who Forgot Faces -- CHAPTER FIVE: A Slope, Followed By an Abyss -- CHAPTER SIX: Your Colleague Has a Brilliant Idea - Yours -- CHAPTER SEVEN: The Galileo of Neurology -- CHAPTER EIGHT: On Repression -- CHAPTER NINE: The Myth of Total Recall -- CHAPTER TEN: The Memory of the Esterházys -- CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Mirror That Never Forgets -- CHAPTER TWELVE: The Second Death -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Art of Forgetting -- Questions About Forgetting -- Notes -- Illustrations -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

In his highly praised book The Nostalgia Factory, renowned memory scholar Douwe Draaisma explored the puzzling logic of memory in later life with humor and deep insight. In this compelling new book he turns to the "miracle" of forgetting. Far from being a defect that may indicate Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, Draaisma claims, forgetting is one of memory's crucial capacities. In fact, forgetting is essential.   Weaving together an engaging array of literary, historical, and scientific sources, the author considers forgetting from every



angle. He pierces false clichés and asks important questions: Is a forgotten memory lost forever? What makes a colleague remember an idea but forget that it was yours? Draaisma explores "first memories" of young children, how experiences are translated into memory, the controversies over repression and "recovered" memories, and weird examples of memory dysfunction. He movingly examines the impact on personal memories when a hidden truth comes to light. In a persuasive conclusion the author advocates the undervalued practice of "the art of forgetting"-a set of techniques that assist in erasing memories, thereby preserving valuable relationships and encouraging personal contentment.