Social amnesia
Encyclopedia
Social amnesia is a collective forgetting by a group of people. The concept is often cited in relation to Russell Jacoby
's scholarship from the 1970s
. Social amnesia can be a result of "forcible repression
" of memories, ignorance
, changing circumstances, or the forgetting that comes from changing interests. Protest, folklore, "local memory", and collective nostalgia are counter forces that combat social amnesia.
Social amnesia is a subject of discussion in psychology
and among some political activists. In the U.S., social amnesia has been said to reflect "the tendency of American penology
to ignore history and precedent
when responding to the present or informing the future... discarded ideas are repackaged; meanwhile, the expectations for these practices remain the same."
Fits of social amnesia after difficult or trying periods can sometimes cover up the past, and fading memories can actually make mythologies transcend by keeping them "impervious to challenge".
among mice whose sense of smell is the primary means of social interaction. It is affected by oxytocin, and mice without the gene to produce that brain protein are said to suffer from "social amnesia" and an inability to recognize "familiar" mice." The role of oxytocin in the amygdala
in facilitating social recognition and bonding as well as how ocytocin receptor "antagonist" might induce social amnesia has also been investigated.
Russell Jacoby
Russell Jacoby is a professor of history at the University of California Los Angeles an author, and critic of academic culture. His fields of interest are Twentieth Century European and American intellectual and cultural history specifically the history of intellectuals and education...
's scholarship from the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. Social amnesia can be a result of "forcible repression
Political repression
Political repression is the persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take political life of society....
" of memories, ignorance
Ignorance
Ignorance is a state of being uninformed . The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult...
, changing circumstances, or the forgetting that comes from changing interests. Protest, folklore, "local memory", and collective nostalgia are counter forces that combat social amnesia.
Social amnesia is a subject of discussion in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and among some political activists. In the U.S., social amnesia has been said to reflect "the tendency of American penology
Penology
Penology is a section of criminology that deals with the philosophy and practice of various societies in their attempts to repress criminal activities, and satisfy public opinion via an appropriate treatment regime for persons convicted of criminal offenses.The Oxford English Dictionary defines...
to ignore history and precedent
Precedent
In common law legal systems, a precedent or authority is a principle or rule established in a legal case that a court or other judicial body may apply when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts...
when responding to the present or informing the future... discarded ideas are repackaged; meanwhile, the expectations for these practices remain the same."
Fits of social amnesia after difficult or trying periods can sometimes cover up the past, and fading memories can actually make mythologies transcend by keeping them "impervious to challenge".
In biology
The subject of social amnesia has been studied in biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
among mice whose sense of smell is the primary means of social interaction. It is affected by oxytocin, and mice without the gene to produce that brain protein are said to suffer from "social amnesia" and an inability to recognize "familiar" mice." The role of oxytocin in the amygdala
Amygdala
The ' are almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans. Shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.-...
in facilitating social recognition and bonding as well as how ocytocin receptor "antagonist" might induce social amnesia has also been investigated.
Further reading
- Jacoby Russell Social Amnesia, A critique of conformist psychology from Adler to Laing Boston:Beacon Press