”In psychology, confabulation is a memory error defined as the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world.”
It’s important to note that these memory errors are not made consciously…
With that in mind, let’s ask ourselves a question: To what extent does this phenomenon shape to our memories?
Answer: Probably more than any of us would like to admit.
But here’s the thing – we couldn’t admit to it even if we wanted to, because confabulation implies that we are not consciously aware that we have made anything up. Mindfuck!
See, a lie is a conscious decision to tell an untruth. We know when we are lying, and therein lies the difference. Confabulation happens on a subconscious level – we aren’t consciously aware we are doing it.
I really think that everyone is susceptible to this – probably more so as they age. But add in any degree of mental illness or PTSD and you have the perfect set of circumstances for confabulation to “fill in the blanks.” You know – all the holes in your past that were blocked out of your memory in an effort to protect yourself from whatever horrible shit either happened to you or that you perpetrated.
Then simply repeat the false memories over a few decades and presto! What is real and what isn’t?