The false memory controversy: a critical realist clarification.

Описание: David Pilgrim, PhD, is Honorary Professor of Health and Social Policy at the University of Liverpool and Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Southampton. Now semi-retired, he trained and worked in the NHS as a clinical psychologist before completing a PhD in psychology and then a Master's in sociology. With this mixed background, his career was split then between clinical work, teaching and mental health policy research. His years working in the British NHS have given him extensive practical knowledge of the theoretical and policy aspects of mental health.

In this presentation, Professor Pilgrim discusses his latest paper, "The false memory controversy: a critical realist clarification" (https://doi.org/10.1080/14767430.2025.... This considers what has been termed ‘the memory wars’, whereby victims of sexual abuse who later regain recognition of their horrific events can be challenged in court by expert witnesses. Professor Pilgrim, using the meta-philosophical lens of critical realism, challenges the authenticity and, therefore, reliability of such expert witnesses, who are considered to rely on a naive form of realism. Tracing the methodology back to the ‘Lost in the Mall’ experiment, Professor Pilgrim problematizes experimental psychology, which uses a closed system of experimentation, which does not necessarily transpose to the more chaotic and open system of the real world.

His publications include Understanding Mental Health: A Critical Realist Exploration (Routledge, 2015) and Key Concepts in Mental Health (5th edition, Sage, 2019). Others include A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness (Open University Press, 2005 - winner of the 2006 BMA Medical Book of the Year Award), Mental Health Policy in Britain (Palgrave, 2002) and Mental Health and Inequality (Palgrave, 2003) (all with Anne Rogers). His recent books are Child Sexual Abuse: Moral Panic or State of Denial? (Routledge, 2018) and Critical Realism for Psychologists (Routledge, 2020). [From "About the Author" in Identity Politics (Phoenix, 2022).