Definition

Noun: * A Substituted Memory: A type of imagined or altered memory, often from childhood, that the mind unconsciously creates and recalls in place of a different, more distressing or unacceptable memory. The screen memory is typically less emotionally charged and serves to conceal or "screen" the true, more significant memory from conscious awareness.

Usage

• In Psychoanalysis: The term is primarily used in the context of psychoanalytic theory, particularly Sigmund Freud's work, to describe a specific memory phenomenon during therapy or self-analysis.
• As a Protective Mechanism: It describes a psychological defense mechanism where a benign memory substitutes for a traumatic one.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Characteristics: A screen memory is often notable for its vivid, sharp detail concerning minor elements, while the central event or its emotional context may feel vague or incongruent. It is not a deliberate lie but an unconscious fabrication.
• Therapeutic Focus: In psychoanalytic practice, uncovering the latent content behind a screen memory is a key therapeutic goal, as it is believed to lead to repressed material central to the individual's neurosis.

Variants and Related Words

• Screen (verb): In a psychological context, to conceal or protect from awareness.
  • The ego screens threatening impulses.
• Repressed Memory (noun): The distressing, hidden memory that the screen memory protects.
• False Memory (noun): A broader, more general term for any memory of an event that did not occur, which may or may not have a defensive psychological function like a screen memory.

Synonyms

• Cover memory
• Memory substitute
• Protective memory

Antonyms

• Accurate memory
• True recollection
• Verified memory

Related Concepts

• Defense Mechanism: The general psychological process to which screen memory belongs.
• Repression: The primary defense mechanism often involved, where distressing memories are pushed into the unconscious.
• Psychoanalysis: The theoretical framework where this concept is most rigorously defined and applied.

Noun

1. an imagined memory of a childhood experience; hides another memory of distressing significance