ARE RAPE MEMORIES DIFFERENT - A COMPARISON OF RAPE, OTHER UNPLEASANT,AND PLEASANT MEMORIES AMONG EMPLOYED WOMEN

The study examined empirically-measured memory characteristics, compar ed pleasant and unpleasant intense memories as well as rape and other unpleasant memories, and determined whether rape memories exhibited si gnificantly move ''flashbulb'' characteristics. Data consisted of resp onses to a mailed survey of women employees of a medical center (N = 1 ,037) and a university (N = 2,142). Pleasant and unpleasant memories w ere differentiated by feelings, consequences, and level of unexpectedn ess. The most powerful discriminator of rape from other unpleasant mem ories was the degree to which they were less clear and vivid, containe d a less meaningful order, were less well-remembered and were less tho ught and talked about. Few ''flashbulb'' characteristics discriminated among memory types. Implications for clinical work with rape survivor s were discussed.