False memory syndrome was one of those gimmicks which came out of nowhere, made headlines then disappeared into obscurity. Agendas were operational. it was a convenient excuse for various chancers on the make. A much more sensible view is put by the Wiki regarding Reconstructive Memory, that is how one remembers an incident.
False Memory Syndrome
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The term False Memory Syndrome was created in 1992 by the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF). It has been called "a pseudoscientific syndrome that was developed to defend against claims of child abuse." The FMSF was created by parents who claimed to be falsely accused of child sexual abuse. The False Memory Syndrome was described as "a widespread social phenomenon where misguided therapists cause patients to invent memories of sexual abuse." Research has shown that most delayed memories of childhood abuse are true. In general, it has been shown that false allegations of childhood sexual abuse are rare, with some studies showing rates as low as one percent and some studies showing slightly higher rates. It has been found that children tend to understate rather than overstate the extent of any abuse experienced. It has been stated that misinformation on the topic of child sexual abuse is widespread and that the media have contributed to this problem by reporting favorably on unproven and controversial claims like the False Memory Syndrome.
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Before taking this one seriously it is worth looking into Psychiatry As A Boondoggle
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http://web.archive.org/web/20070705192137/childabuse.georgiacenter.uga.edu/both/whitfield/whitfield2.phtml
The "False Memory" Defense: Using Disinformation and Junk Science in
and out of Court Charles L. Whitfield, M.D., F.A.S.A.M. Journal of
Child Sexual Abuse 9 (3 & 4) Haworth Press (2001) This article
describes a seemingly sophisticated, but mostly contrived and often
erroneous "false memory" defense, and compares it in a brief review to
what the science says about the effect of trauma on memory. Child
sexual abuse is widespread and dissociative/traumatic amnesia for it
is common. Accused, convicted and self-confessed child molesters and
their advocates have crafted a strategy that tries to negate their
abusive, criminal behavior, which we can call a "false memory"
defense.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070914163211/http://childabuse.georgiacenter.uga.edu/both/whitfield/whitfield1.phtml
False Memory Syndrome - Child Abuse Wiki
http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=False_Memory_Syndrome
The term False Memory Syndrome was created in 1992 by the False Memory
Syndrome Foundation (FMSF)[1]. It has been called "a pseudoscientific
syndrome that was developed to defend against claims of child
abuse."[1] The FMSF was created by parents who claimed to be falsely
accused of child sexual abuse.[1] The False Memory Syndrome was
described as "a widespread social phenomenon where misguided
therapists cause patients to invent memories of sexual abuse."[1]
Research has shown that most delayed memories of childhood abuse are
true[2]. In general, it has been shown that false allegations of
childhood sexual abuse are rare, with some studies showing rates as
low as one percent[3][4] and some studies showing slightly higher
rates[3]. It has been found that children tend to understate rather
than overstate the extent of any abuse experienced[3]. It has been
stated that misinformation on the topic of child sexual abuse is
widespread and that the media have contributed to this problem by
reporting favorably on unproven and controversial claims like the
False Memory Syndrome[5].
UNQUOTE
Believe a psychiatrist? If you do you need your head looked at.
Reconstructive Memory ex Wiki
Reconstructive memory is a theory of memory recall, in which the act of remembering is influenced by various other cognitive processes including perception, imagination, semantic memory and beliefs, amongst others. People view their memories as being a coherent and truthful account of episodic memory and believe that their perspective is free from error during recall. However the reconstructive process of memory recall is subject to distortion by other intervening cognitive functions such as individual perceptions, social influences, and world knowledge, all of which can lead to errors during reconstruction.Reconstructive process
Memory rarely relies on a literal recount of past experiences. By using multiple interdependent cognitive processes, there is never a single location in the brain where a given complete memory trace of an experience is stored.[1] Rather, memory is dependent on constructive processes during encoding that may introduce errors or distortions. Essentially, the constructive memory process functions by encoding the patterns of perceived physical characteristics, as well as the interpretive conceptual and semantic functions that act in response to the incoming information.[2]In this manner, the various features of the experience must be joined together to form a coherent representation of the episode.[3] If this binding process fails, it can result in memory errors. The complexity required for reconstructing some episodes is quite demanding and can result in incorrect or incomplete recall.[4] This complexity leaves individuals susceptible to phenomena such as the misinformation effect across subsequent recollections.[5] By employing reconstructive processes, individuals supplement other aspects of available personal knowledge and schema into the gaps found in episodic memory in order to provide a fuller and more coherent version, albeit one that is often distorted.
Many errors can occur when attempting to retrieve a specific episode. First, the retrieval cues used to initiate the search for a specific episode may be too similar to other experiential memories and the retrieval process may fail if the individual is unable to form a specific description of the unique characteristics of the given memory they would like to retrieve.[6] When there is little available distinctive information for a given episode there will be more overlap across multiple episodes, leading the individual to recall only the general similarities common to these memories. Ultimately proper recall for a desired target memory fails due to the interference of non-target memories that are activated because of their similarity.[7]
Secondly, a large number of errors that occur during memory reconstruction are caused by faults in the criterion-setting and decision making processes used to direct attention towards retrieving a specific target memory. When there are lapses in recall of aspects of an episodic memory, the individual tends to supplement other aspects of knowledge that are unrelated to the actual episode in order to form a more cohesive and well-rounded reconstruction of the memory, regardless of whether or not the individual is aware of such supplemental processing. This process is known as confabulation. All of the supplemental processes occurring during the course of reconstruction rely on the use of schema, information networks that organize and store abstract knowledge in the brain.