Notes on Mnemic Neglect

Mnemic neglect describes the propensity for people to poorly recall self-threatening feedback. I discovered he term when reading about self-serving bias and memory in this paper:

Zhang, Yanchi, Zhe Pan, Kai Li, and Yongyu Guo. ‘Self-Serving Bias in Memories’. Experimental Psychology 65, no. 4 (1 July 2018): 236–44. https://doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a000409.

I believe that mnemic neglect is important in self-reflection/assessment tasks and feedback conversations because a propensity to struggle recalling self-threatening events can hinder our ability to learn from our shortcomings and mistakes. Mnemic neglect is not universal, and it can be overcome in certain conditions such as the perceived closeness of the feedback deliverer:

Green, Jeffrey D., Constantine Sedikides, Brad Pinter, and Daryl R. Van Tongeren. ‘Two Sides to Self-Protection: Self-Improvement Strivings and Feedback from Close Relationships Eliminate Mnemic Neglect’. Self and Identity 8, no. 2–3 (April 2009): 233–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860802505145.

The implication of this research is that if you have a trainee without “insight”, it might actually be a reflection of the relationship the trainee has with the supervisor. I would argue that this aspect of mnemic neglect should cause us as supervisors to reflect on what type of relationship we develop with trainees, and how close/nurturing that relationship is. I also think that pastoral care should be made explicit in the supervisory role (if it is not already) and adequate time should be allocated to achieving this goal.