Forgetting is simply the loss of information. (Benjamin, Hopkins, & Nation, 1994. p.277)

Why We Forget

Forgetting is actually both necessary and useful. Imagine remembering every single second of every single day of your life. It would be very difficult to keep all the information organized and to focus on one thing at a time. There is just too much information to be remembered. We automatically forget most of the sensory information we take in without even realizing it.

A Perfect Memory ...

There was a man who did not forget. Shereshevsky (referred to as S. in psychology) was a Russian journalist with an incredible memory. He never took notes during his interviews, but his articles were detailed and accurate. He told his editor that he didn't need to take notes, because he never forgot anything. His editor sent him to Aleksander Luria, who studied this man with a remarkable memory. He remembered every list of words Luria asked him to memorize. Not only this, he remembered them years afterwards ... as well as the clothes Luria had worn on the day he had first learned them! (Yount, p. 74)

... May Not Be So Perfect

Unfortunately, S.'s gift was not all welcome. He was unable to block unwanted memories. He had trouble understanding abstract concepts or figurative language. Also, S. had a terrible memory for faces because he memorized them so exactly. People's faces change with time, lighting, mood, and expression. S. had difficulty recognizing faces because they looked so different to him from the ones he had completely memorized in the past. (Shenk, 2000)

How we Forget

Scientists are still debating whether or not long-term memory is stored permanently in the brain. (Yount, p. 56-57) Many scientists will contend that our long-term memories are relatively permanent, but many are difficult to retrieve (Matlin, 1998, p. 69). Either way, we can't remember everything in our past, whether or not it is still stored in our brain.

There are four basic theories about how we forget. It is most likely that all of these theories are partially correct. ("Memory (mental process)." 2000)

• Memory Deterioration - memories fade naturally over time
• Memory Distortion - memories are altered, distorted, or modified over time
• Retroactive inhibition - new memories interfere with/replace old memories
• Repression - memories are unconsciously blocked from our awarenes