Extended Reading "It's Magic..."

What is the relationship between memory and selfhood?

According to the article “memory builds that about us which often seems most solid- our sense of self. We remember, therefore we are.” In my opinion, memory is what b

uilds up the “self” or who we are. Our self maybe relies upon how we think or our perception of the world, which is influence by our past experience, our parents’ guidance. It is mentioned that memory storage of childhood experiences help us develop a richer send of self! As I go through the article it has mentioned other factors such as physiological

ly-the brains and its function that influence our memory. On the other hand, our memories can be reconstructed by list

ening to others or imagining things that makes you believe you really did something. This implies that memory is malleable and easily manipulated, which in fact has an affect on the “self” as well. “Memory is malleable – so are we.”

What new discovery about memory do you find most interesting?

I found the discovery about how sleep helps enhance our memory and the discovery about our memories are being processed at different areas of the brain very interesting.

The discovery that sleeping helps enhance our memory is not the first time I’ve hea

rd of it. Actually, my dad use to tell me that we should go to sleep early because when we sleep our brains release chemicals that will help sort and classify what we’ve learn that day into our brain. The article help confirms what my father use to tell me and it really worked.

The second discovery makes it clearer to me that our memories are not a single file. One memory can be associated to all the 5 senses, and once we recognize one of the cues that lead us to the memory, we will be able to retrieve that piece of memory easily. Our memory works as a network where it is broken in to little parts, in which they are all connected.

How can some memories become indelible?

Some memories become indelible or unforgettable because it is emotionally deep-rooted. We can say that the more we connect our memories to our emotion, t

he deeper and better we remember them Emotional memories are very powerful because when we encounter with such context the brain releases hormone that regulates several physical reactions associated with that emotion. If we encounter similar situations the same hormones overflows repeating similar body reactions. These hormones stimulate the amygdala. In addition, it is said that the amygdala may process many of our unconscious response. Because of this, it is hard to heal or forget the memories that disturb us.

How can amnesia and repression be explained?

Amnesia is when information is not encoded into the long term memory. For example, a victim in car accident does not recall the incident because they lose their conscious right after they got hit. Repression is memory that is forgotten but later is able to be retrieved. It is the body’s defence mechanism that helps protect the person from painful memories (e.g. repeated rapes.)

Amnesia and repression maybe due to a malfunction of the hippocampus. In order to recall certain memory the hippocampus must process the information taken in first. Perhaps, the work of the hippocampus is disrupts while processing the information (e.g. cause by trauma events) while other components of memory carry on.

Explain the following statement: "Memory is more reconstructive than reproductive."

“Memory is more reconstructive than reproductive” this statement implies that time passes by details of the memory fades away and we replace them with our own details based on our perception and schemas. We don’t remember the “actual” event but the “big picture” and reconstruct the details ourselves. We don’t reproduce our past experiences because we don’t remember them; instead we reconstruct them based on what we think we remember and other people’s suggestion.

So does it mean, we cannot rely on our memories and does others? – Nothing is reliable?

What new paradigm of memory is now emerging?

The new paradigm of memory says that memory is the blending or fact and fiction, where images are transformed by experience and emotions. In other words, our memory is not a 100% recall of the actual event but a mixture of what we “think actually” happens and not. We create images according to our feelings and based upon our “self.”

After reading this article, what conclusions can you make about memory?

After reading this article I come to a conclusion that memory is not a solid based that build up that we are, but it is malleable and is easily shaped by our perception, our emotions, other people, or other factors.

Our memories build up who we are, and in contrast who we are determines what we remember. We remember what we think we know and add them with tiny bits of information from other people. This implies that we cannot rely on our memories because it is mostly reconstructed. No matter how confident you are, you can be proven wrong.