This case study describes the use of a treatment technique to deal with situations where sexual offenders claim no recall of their offenses. In this case, the offender claimed his memory loss resulted from an alcoholic blackout. During treatment, he was asked to use the “Memory Recovery Technique” where he recreated the context of the day of the offense in detail and attempted to remember further offense-specific details. Treatment issues and implications are highlighted.
Abeles, M.,& Schilder, P. (1935). Psychogenic loss of personal identity. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 34, 587-604.
2.
Barbaree, H. E. (1991). Denial and minimization among sex offenders: Assessment and treatment outcome. Forum on Corrections Research, 3, 30-33.
3.
Barrett, K.C. (1995) A functionalist approach to shame and guilt. In J.P.Tangney& K.W.Fischer (Eds.) Selfconscious emotions: The psychology of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and pride. (pp.25-63) New York: Guilford Press.
4.
Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A study in experimental and social psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
5.
Bumby, K. M., Marshall, W. L., & Langton, C. M. (1999). A theoretical model of the influences of shame and guilt on sexual offending. In B. K. Schwartz (Ed.), The sex offender: Theoretical advances, treating special populations, and legal developments(Vol. 3, pp. 5.1-5.12). Kingston, New Jersey: Civic Research Institute.
6.
Burton, D.,& Smith-Darden, J. (2001). North American survey of sexual abuser treatment andmodels: Summary data 2000. Brandon, VT: Safer Society Press.
7.
Hadfield, J. A. (1920). Treatment by suggestion and persuasion. In H. Crichton-Miller (Ed.), Functional nerve disease: An epitome of war experience for the practitioner(pp. 61-87). London: Frowde, Hodder & Stoughton.
8.
Herrmann, D. J., & Searleman, A. L. (1990). The new multimodal approach to memory improvement. In G. H. Bower (Ed.), Advances in learning and motivation(pp. 26-26, 275-275, 205-205). New York: Academic Press.
9.
Julien, R. M. (2001). A primer of drug action. New York: Henry Holt.
10.
Kardiner, A. (1941). The traumatic neuroses of war. New York: Hoeber.
11.
Kihlstrom, J. F. (1998). Exhumed memory. In S. J. Lynn& K. M. McConkey (Eds.), Truth inmemory(pp. 3-31). New York: Guilford.
12.
Koss, M. P., & Harvey, M. R. (1991). The rape victim: Clinical and community interventions(2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
13.
Kubie, L. S.,& Margolin, S. (1945). The therapeutic role of drugs in the process of repression, dissociation, and synthesis. Psychosomatic Medicine, 7, 147-151.
14.
Landauer, T. K.,& Bjork, R. A. (1978). Optimal rehearsal patterns and name learning. In M. M. Gruneberg, P. F. Morris,& R. N. Sykes (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory(pp. 625-632). London: Academic Press.
15.
Maletzky, B. M. (1991). Treating the sexual offender. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
16.
Marshall, W. L., Anderson, D. A., & Fernandez, Y. M. (1999). Cognitive behavioural treatment for sexual offenders. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
17.
Marshall, W. L., Serran, G., Moulden, H., Mulloy, R., Fernandez, Y. M., Mann, R. E., et al. (2002). Therapist features in sexual offender treatment: Their reliable identification and influence on behavior change. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy1, 9, 395-405.
18.
Marshall, W. L., Thornton, D., Marshall, L. E., Fernandez, Y. M.,& Mann, R. E. (2001). Treatment of sexual offenders who are in categorical denial: A pilot project. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 13, 205-216.
19.
Payne, D. G.,& Wenger, M. J. (1992). Improving memory through practice. In D. J. Herrmann, C. McAvoy, C. Hertozog, P. Hertel,& M. K. Johnson (Eds.), Basic and applied memory research: Vol. 2. Theory and context(pp. 184-209). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
20.
Serran, G., Fernandez, Y. M., Marshall, W. L.,& Mann, R. E. (2003). Process issues in treatment: Applications to sexual offender programs. Professional Psychology, 34, 368-374.
21.
Tulving, E., & Thompson, D. M. (1973). Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory. Psychological Review, 80, 352-373.
22.
Wilkinson, J. (1988). Context effects in children’s event memory. In M. M. Gruneberg, P. E. Morris,& R. N. Sykes (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory: Current research and issues(Vol. 1, pp. 107-111). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
