Psychosomatic Clinic, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Psychotherapy and Diagnostics Unit, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
Psychopathology. 2024;57(5):444-450. doi: 10.1159/000539240. Epub 2024 Jul 5.
Many past and ongoing conflicts in the world are associated with memories. The role of emphatic memories is however often neglected in conflict solving. Therefore, this narrative review gives a short introduction to the phenomenon of emphatic memories and implications for counteracting dysfunctional effects of emphatic memories.
Memory has two connotations. One is remembering and knowing (I can remember when I got married) and on the other is reminding and emphasizing memories (I remind my partner of our wedding day). Memories are less a report on the past but result of current emotions and motives. Emphatic memories serve for self-portrayal and distinction from others, self-exculpation, accusation of others, justification of claims. They are regularly reproachful, have an aggressive character, and are distorted and pseudologic. This is also true on a societal level, as memories are used for defining social groups, and by this for political purposes, in order to juxtapose one group against the other. If memories are revoked, they are regularly accompanied with the very emotions, which were associated with the past event. Corresponding behavior is motivated. Many people suffer from memories and associated emotions and dysfunctional behavior, as is well described in the context of post-traumatic stress disorders. Also, social groups can as a whole suffer from negative emotions because of memories, which may go back up to thousand years. To ensure that memories do not adversely affect individuals and social groups, they should best be forgotten, or at least rescripted, in a way that they are disentangled from negative emotions and motives. An important psychological process in this regard is wisdom and forgiveness, which must not be confused with understanding, justification, tolerating, or reconciliation. Wisdom and forgiveness allow persons to close the books, act self-determined, find freedom from external events, and end suffering because of the past. It is a rational and emotional act.
Emphatic memories can cause that individuals and groups do not find peace and persistently provoke new conflicts. Internal and interactional peace can be found if memories are let alone and fade away. Forgiveness and wisdom describe avenues to let dysfunctional memories go.
世界上许多过去和正在发生的冲突都与记忆有关。然而，在解决冲突时，共情记忆的作用往往被忽视。因此，本文简要介绍了共情记忆现象及其对消除共情记忆功能失调影响的启示。
记忆有两种含义。一种是记得和知道（我记得我结婚的那天），另一种是提醒和强调记忆（我提醒我的伴侣我们的结婚纪念日）。记忆不是过去的报告，而是当前情绪和动机的结果。共情记忆服务于自我描绘和与他人的区分、自我辩解、指责他人、为自己的主张辩护。它们通常是责备性的，具有攻击性，并且是扭曲和伪逻辑的。在社会层面上也是如此，因为记忆被用来定义社会群体，并通过这种方式用于政治目的，以便将一个群体与另一个群体相对立。如果记忆被撤销，它们通常伴随着与过去事件相关的情绪。相应的行为是有动机的。许多人遭受记忆和相关情绪以及功能失调行为的困扰，这在创伤后应激障碍的背景下得到了很好的描述。同样，整个社会群体也可能因为记忆而遭受负面情绪的困扰，这些情绪可能可以追溯到几千年前。为了确保记忆不会对个人和社会群体产生不利影响，最好将其遗忘，或者至少以一种与负面情绪和动机分离的方式重新编写，这是一个重要的心理过程。在这方面，智慧和宽恕是至关重要的，而不能将其与理解、辩解、容忍或和解混淆。智慧和宽恕使人们能够合上书本，自主行动，从外部事件中获得自由，并结束过去带来的痛苦。这是一种理性和情感的行为。
共情记忆会导致个人和群体无法获得和平，并持续引发新的冲突。如果让记忆自行消失，内心的和平与人际间的和平就会到来。宽恕和智慧描述了让功能失调的记忆消失的途径。
