Many argue that there is no such thing as False Memory Syndrome. Back in the day Multiple Personality Disorder did not appear in the DSM but it is there now. One day False Memory Syndrome will appear in the DSM. Meanwhile, people do develop "memories" of events they have never experienced and they do truly believe they have experienced these events. Call it false memories; call it delusions - it exists. .
People forget most of what occurs to them, including some events that were pleasant or significant to them at the time. If an event is lost from memory, there is no scientific way to prove whether it was "repressed" or simply forgotten. False memory syndrome involves a combination of mistaken perceptions and false beliefs. The false memory syndrome patient is encouraged to "connect" with an environment that will reinforce the False Memory Syndrome state, and is encouraged to "disconnect" from people or information that might lead them to question. .
Is it possible that the memories in our head are untrue? If they are untrue, where did they come from? In Freud's theory of "repression" the mind automatically banishes traumatic events from memory to prevent overwhelming anxiety. Freud further speculated that repressed memories cause "neurosis," which could be cured if the memories were made conscious. .
The nature of memory causes some memories to be distorted through influences such as the integration of new information. There are also believed-in imaginings that are not based in historical reality; these have been called false memories, pseudo-memories and memory illusions. They can result from the influence of outside factors. .
Memories are subject to worsening and change over time while in storage. And our current expectations and beliefs can alter our perception of a memory when it is recalled. Careful experiments have shown that it is remarkably easy to influence people so that they come to believe in memories that are false.