Not remembering as a practical epistemic resource in couples therapy

Abstract

We examine how displays of not remembering are used as an interactional resource in couples therapy. Our study contributes to the understanding of the social epistemology of memory; that is, how displays of not remembering relate to issues of knowledge and how they are assessed and understood with respect to the local interactional projects made relevant in therapy. From our analysis of transcribed audio- and video-taped couples therapy sessions, we found that clients’ displays of not remembering opened up a range of practical epistemic and rhetorical issues: 1) it enabled the creation of new ‘participation frameworks’ in which the client’s spouse could display first-hand knowledge; 2) it made relevant issues of accountability and blame for not having remembered important relationship events; 3) it indexed an avoidance or resistance of conforming to the therapeutic agenda; and 4) it deflected against the interpretation that one may have a certain interest in not remembering.