Carol Tavris

In the following viewpoint, Carol Tavris takes issue with popular self-help books that focus on childhood incest and the repression of memories of childhood abuse. According to Tavris, because the authors of these books claim that almost any emotional problem—as well as the inability to remember any abuse—is a symptom of past sexual abuse, many people have come to wrongly believe that they were sexually abused as children. Furthermore, she asserts, these books often encourage incest survivors to place all the blame for their current problems on past abuse. This personal focus on the past does nothing to change society’s complacency about sexual abuse, Tavris concludes. Tavris, a social psychologist, is the author of The Mismeasure of Woman.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Tavris, what symptoms...