Memory
Freud did not give a direct definition of “memory” but he did define “Disguise-Memories (Deckerinnerung)” (Freud 1920: 168) in Archaic Remnants and Infantilism in the Dream of A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. He believes that “these impressions have never really been forgotten, they have only been inaccessible, latent, have belonged to the unconscious” (Freud 1920: 169). However, in his texts, he emphasized that memory, especially repressed and forgotten memories, is usually not only acquired through conscious recollection but is often presented as a “memory” through a person’s behavioral patterns or emotional reactions. “…the patient does not remember anything of what he has forgotten and repressed, but acts it out. He reproduces it not as a memory but as an action; he repeats He reproduces it not as a memory but as an action; he repeats it, without, of course, knowing that he is repeating it” (Freud 1914: 150). Through Freud’s observation of his patients, we can understand that “Memory” in his definition is no longer something abstract that exists at the level of consciousness but can be expressed through their behaviors, actions, and emotional responses.
Caruth makes a strong connection between “Memory” and “Trauma”. Rather than simply defining the term “Memory”, she explores the complexities of how memory functions, particularly in the aftermath of trauma. “The flashback, it seems, provides a form of recall that survives at the cost of willed memory or of the very continuity of conscious thought. While the traumatized are called upon to see and to relive the insistent reality of the past, they recover a past that encounters consciousness only through the very denial of active recollection” (Caruth 1995: 152). These “flashbacks” may not be a coherent or complete memory. Memories of trauma, in particular, might be fragmented or disjointed. But as Caruth mentions “the flashback or traumatic reenactment conveys both the truth of an event, and the truth of its incomprehensibility” (Caruth 1995: 153).
Van der Kolk proposed writing The Body Keeps the Score as an attempt to explore the body’s response to traumatic memories. Trauma isn’t only stored in the mind but also embodied. The body reacts to and remembers trauma in ways that are not always consciously accessible. The body can retain memories of traumatic experiences and these memories can be expressed through physical sensations, behaviors, and emotional states. He also explores “Traumatic Memory” in Chapter 11. These memories are distinguished from normal memories by their intrusive and destructive nature. Traumatic memories are usually reproduced with high emotional intensity and sensory detail. He also compares the difference between normal and traumatic memories. In contrast, the normal/ordinary memories are “adaptive”; the traumatic memories are “partcipitated by specific triggers” (Van der Kolk 2014).
Herman talks about the difficulty of memory retelling among trauma survivors which is illogical and limited. As she mentions, “Survivors may have intense and painful flashback recall of sensory details like smells and sounds, but little or no recall of orienting details like time and place” (Herman 2023). This point strongly corroborates the specificity of trauma survivors’ memories. This is very similar to the “autobiographical memory” mentioned by Van der Kolk. Sensory collection is the most direct reflection of the details of the memory.
Connerton gives definitions of two terms, “Incorporation” and “Inscription”. He emphasizes the body, rituals, gestures, etc. as a way of remembering. As Mel said in class, “People grab their bags when they see a black man in an alley. That’s what societies teach us.” As a result, the way we receive memories is not limited to what we have experienced, but becomes a social way of receiving information through news, history, the environment, and so on.
Hirsch does not define “memory” but she gives a definition of “Postmemory” as “postmemory is not identical to memory: it is ‘post’… it approximates memory in its affective force and its psychic effects” (Hirsch 2012: 31).
Trauma
Freud did not offer a simple definition of “Trauma” in Remembering, Repeating, and Working-through. However, he explores some of the behaviors present in patients who have experienced trauma. “Freud seems to describe the trauma as the successive movement from an event to its repression to its return” (Caruth 1995: 7). But through the “Repetition Compulsion” he proposed, we can know how the patient’s mind internally deals with the traumatic experience as a process. At the same time, we can understand the nature of trauma through it.
The Introduction I of Trauma: Explorations in Memory is almost entirely devoted to telling us what trauma is and what PTSD is. Crauth emphasizes that “trauma is not experienced as a mere repression or defense, but as a temporal delay that carries the individual beyond the shock of the first moment. The trauma is a repeated suffering of the event, but it is also a continual leaving of its site” (Caruth 1995: 10). She also argues that trauma as isolation is not just embodied in the individual, but also in its broad historicity. Trauma is more of a cultural connection.
When Van der Kolk talks about trauma, he focuses less on the traumatizing event itself and more on the physical and mental impacts. He underscores that trauma is not just a psychological phenomenon but also profoundly affects the body and brain. He defines that “trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body… Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way mind and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think” (Van der Kolk 2014) at the end of chapter I.
In the Introduction to Truth and Repair, Herman talks about another book she wrote, Trauma and Recovery. She mentions the definition of trauma “The suffering of traumatized people is a matter not only of individual psychology but also, always, of social justice. Because the violence at the source of trauma aims at domination and oppression, even to recognize trauma, to name it requires the historical context of broad social movements for human rights…” (Herman 2023).
Connerton does not give a complete and direct definition of trauma, but what he explores in How Societies Remember can be a good illustration of the social and communal nature of trauma.
Hirsch’s concept of Trauma is tightly linked to postmemory. Her understanding of trauma is based on catastrophic historical events that leave a deep and lasting mark on survivors and their descendants.
Performance
None of the writers we’ve read have explicitly brought up the concept of performance. But like we learned in our Introduction to Performance Studies class, all performances are repetitive behavior. From this aspect, we go on to explore performance as defined by each of the writers we read.
Freud’s “Repetition Compulsion”. He viewed the behavior exhibited in his patients as a post-traumatic effect on the body and thus a PERFORMANCE.
Connerton’s use of rituals and ceremonies as a form of social memory. His view of the impact that rituals and ceremonies have had on people of different generations in society creates a historical repetition that can be viewed as a PERFORMANCE.
Hirsch’s postmemory’s impact on the identity and culture of future generations. Her suggestion that the transmission of postmemory is an epochal repetition can be seen as a PERFORMANCE.
Van der Kolk discusses how trauma affects the body and mentality, influencing an individual’s actions, reactions, and behaviors, which can be viewed as PERFORMANCE of everyday life.
Self-thought
I think the vast majority of what makes up a person is the traumatic experiences that person has been through. Memory and Trauma are two words that are very much related. Most traumas can’t be separated from memory. When working on a script and analyzing a character, we explore the character’s post-history. This is when we say what traumatic events he or she has experienced in the past have caused the character to be the way he or she is; what does the character do that reflects what major events he or she has experienced in the past? But we never say what happy events in the past have created what personality in this person. So while trauma isn’t a great thing for everyone, I think it’s important and meaningful for everyone.
Like what I was trying to say in the first class, personally, as an actor, I think memories and trauma are great creative materials for script-working. But what I’m trying to convey after this time is that it’s even more cumulative to try to learn more about memories and trauma that don’t come from myself, and to learn about the ways that others have worked through their trauma.