Reconstructive Memory Theory
Disclaimer: This theory is extremely schizo. Despite that, there is some chance it is true.
One of the most common occurrences in Papp lore is misrepresentation of the truth and of the past. The abundance of Papp lore and the extensive lying that he has done are some of the main reasons why Papp lore has been documented.
Originally, it was commonly believed that the reason for this behavior was simply out of the desire for attention, or due to his need to compulsively lie. However, the reconstructive memory theory is a more schizo, but also more logical answer for why he acts like this.
Before reading this article, it is highly suggested that you read the pages on lying, compulsive lying theory, the Kat DMs, and the Papp Article for full understanding.
What is Reconstructive Memory
The American Psychological Association defines reconstructive memory as the following:
the process of remembering conceived as involving the recreation of an experience or event that has been only partially stored in memory. When a memory is retrieved, the process uses general knowledge and schemas for what typically happens in order to reconstruct the experience or event.
In simpler terms, this essentially refers to how memories change over time, and are not accurate depictions of reality. As memories are recalled, they are modified and reconstructed. This means that memories are vulnerable to being manipulated and changed with false information.
Intrusion Errors
Intrusion errors are essentially when information related to the original themes of a memory are associated to an event. For example, if someone was told to memorize the words "candy, cake, sugar, and chocolate" but not the word sweet, but said sweet when asked to recall the words they memorized, this would be an intrusion error.
This can lead to people associating similar events together, altering their sense of memory and leading to an inaccurate perception of reality
False Memories
Scientists have discovered it is possilbe to implant false memories into 1/4 of subjects. In a famous experiment, scientists presented subjects with a book containing written accounts of 4 experiences. Three of them were real events written by their family members, while the fourth one was false and described a time where they got lost in the mall. 1/4 of the subjects could recall this false memory, and would provide a detailed account despite it never actually happening.
Memory Biases
Memory biases on the part of the person remembering can change what they remember. Specifically, the motivations, intentions, mood and biases can impact what people remember about an event. The emotional nature of the event can also influence how they remember.
Key Ideas
What are the key takeaways?
- Memory is imperfect and is not an accurate depiction of reality
- Memories change as they are recalled over time
- Personal bias, such as the emotions associated with the memory and their personal motivation and perception of the event can impact how it is recalled, leading to the omission, addition, or change of details.
- Similar events can become connected, even if the events were not related. This can lead to certain details melding together from different memories, leading to "expected" but untrue details being recalled.
- Completely false memories can be recalled by people, who can vividly remember events that never happened.
All of these facts show that memory is unreliable at best and are often not considered by people, considering that forgetting or misremembering details is a relatively ordinary occurance and probably happens to most people every day.
Connection to Papp
After learning about these ideas, it is likely immediately obvious how they connect to Papp. Papp often misrepresents infromation competely, with some examples of him changing details or misrepresenting events. It is also obvious that he is a compulsive liar and makes up information often.
Our main theory is that Papp's lying and potential brain damage/cte has led to an damaged sense of memory. This leads to him acting like a schizo and having retarded viewpoints torward past events.
Brain Damage
As mentioned in other articles, Papp received a concussion from Anthony Petrullo, an infamous bloatlord. As a result, he reportedly had damage to his short term memory. While this could be a lie, given his behavior, it is likely that it could be true. More trustworthy people seem to have supported this idea happening and remembered this event.
Head injuries such as this could potentially impair his memory to a certain extent, however this is not likely the main factor that contributes to his Reconstructive Memory.
Lying
The main factor that likely contributes to Papp's reconstructive memory is his lying. A major aspect of Papp in every arc has been his lying, as he will consistently create lies and entire false scenarios. This has become even worse due to the use of the internet to communicate with him. Most infamously, he lied about a girl who did not exist (or that he never dated) who was his girlfriend. He has also spread other lies, concerning lifting, losing weight, and being in the class of 2024.
Since memory is reconstructive, it changes as it is retrived which was mentioned before. This means that original memories can be altered through misinformation, but also through self-created misinformation in the form of lies.
The average person lies at least once a day (Serota & Levine, 2015), but Papp is no ordinary person, meaning that he probably makes many dozens of lies over weeks and months. Obviously, this would lead to a much greater effect than the normal person who only lies occasionally.
Scientists have discovered that lying can make it much more likely for false memories to be created. Most effective lies incorporate truthful elements along with the fictional ones (Otgaar & Baker 2018). For Papp, he would have to remember both the truth and his lies to make up events and details to tell PG so he can be glazed. Since this is mentally difficult for the brain, it is discovered that the brain will subconsciously think of this information as the truth , making it mentally easier for them to deal with the contradicting information in their mind (Otgaar & Baker, 2018). This process can occur without the liar noticing.
Lying can also lead to the liars adding false elements into memories of their past, whether intentional or not. If lying is against someone's morals, they may eventually cope with this violation of their own morals by forgetting about the lies or justifying them in similar schizo ways. This can remove guilt on the part of the liar.
Given Papp's extensive lying history, it is almost certain that lying has impacted his knowledge of reality somewhat. The lying may also work in a positive feedback loop, where his lying leads to him incorporating more false ideas into his real memories subconsciously, then leading to him telling more lies (intentionally or not).
Examples of Reconstructive Memory
- Papp told Kat that Paul contributed to his declining mental health along with BLau. While BLau definitely had a large impact, Paul did not do anything major to upset Papp other than posting the "fucking suffocate in it" tweet, which he only did occasionally. In contrast, Paul would actually glaze Papp heavily. Papp also credits Ethan along with PG for helping to save his life, but Ethan says he did jack shit. This event was the major reason why the reconstructive memory theory was suspected, as the culprit he originally blamed instead of Paul was Brian Perez.
