rsonality’s to block out what a persons consciousness does not want them to know. One very interesting case was a case involving a man who was on trail for committing murder. The man had no recollection of ever committing this murder. When hypnotized the doctor found that this man had an alter personality that admitted to committing the murder. When the man awoke he had no recollection of the conversation that the doctor had had with his alter personality. An amnesic barrier often separates these alter egos. So one personality may not know of the existence of the other. Most of these case have very good have a very good memory, but are unaware of past events. This suggests a breakdown in episodic memory. Dissociative disorder consists of two areas. First the loss of personal identity and second organic disorders that produce retrograde amnesia. Most cases have been reported as a symptom of traumatic experiences in a person’s life. Dissociative disorder is an act of “repression.” This idea states that memory is a dynamic in which memories damaging to the ego can be repressed. How does this relate to memory? Episodic memories only have meaning because they relate to a person. There is a control element to the way episodic memories are organized. Dissociative disorder creates a barrier between episodic memory and personal identity. Episodic memories can no longer be utilized because they have no frame of reference. Since scientists do not know how memory is organized it cannot come up with a scientific solution but only theories about such diseases. Memory is a very complex system. It is broken down into many different parts. When these parts cease to work it creates such disorders that are discussed above. Many people suffer from these diseases and there is no way of knowing how to cure them as of yet. Cognitive scientists have been working to find cures and to identify where and what memory...
