Active inhibition is the mechanism by which our subconscious suppresses and filters what we remember.

There's an interesting reframe with this. Some scientists think that we remember everything we have ever experienced (photographic memory) but our brains filter out the unimportant stuff so that we only "get" what's useful. So we're capable of getting the gist.

There is a story in How to Take Smart Notes Sonke Ahrens about this. There's a reporter named Sherevesky who seems to be able to remember everything. But because of this he cannot synthesize or extract higher order ideas. If you ask me what Romeo and Juliet is about I’ll say something like - two kids who fall madly in love and experience the tragic beauty of the human experience. If you ask Sherevesky, he will simply recite verbatim the entire text of the novel.

So it begs the question does he HAVE something we don't (more storage capacity) or does he LACK something (retrieval suppression mechanism)?

Connections

• This relates to questions of the subconscious, conditioning, and trauma. If we retain everything then everything has an impact on our nature and functioning - everything leaves some trace. It is all “here” buried deep in the unconscious.