flashbulb memory
Shock-frozen mental snapshot
A flashbulb memory is an unusually vivid recollection of a dramatic moment—where you were, what you were doing, who told you.
People describe remembering exactly where they stood when they heard about an assassination or disaster: I have a flashbulb memory of 9/11.
The term references old camera flashbulbs that captured scenes in sudden bright light.
Research suggests these memories feel more reliable than they actually are.
Lasting psychological wound
- PTSDChronic reaction to horrific events
- intrusiveInvading others' privacy
- triggerWhat initiates action
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
nightmare · haunting · anxiety · survivor · wound · aftermath · coping · therapy
Violent sudden disturbance
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- joyIntense positive emotion
- fearEmotional response to threat
- surpriseUnexpected event causing astonishment
disbelief · elation · heartache · pride · anger · Kennedy · 9/11 · Challenger
Recalled mental image
- retrievalAct of getting back
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- vividnessIntense clarity or lifelikeness
consistency · distortion · reconstruction · misremembering · overconfidence · certainty · belief · subjective
Impossible to remove
- unforgettablePermanently fixed in memory
- permanentFixed without end
- etchedCarved into a surface
- imprintedStamped or fixed permanently
ingrained · lasting · long-lasting · persistent · lifelong · deep-rooted · embedded · fixed
Informal photograph taken quickly
- crystal-clearCompletely transparent or understandable
- freeze-frameHalted motion picture image
- photographImage from a camera
- cinematicRelating to motion pictures
high-definition · sharp · bright · lifelike · detailed · clarity · sharpness · lucid
trauma
Lasting psychological wound
- PTSDChronic reaction to horrific events
- intrusiveInvading others' privacy
- triggerWhat initiates action
distress · nightmare · haunting · anxiety · survivor · wound · aftermath · coping · therapy · recovery
shock
Violent sudden disturbance
surprise · disbelief · elation · heartache · pride · anger · Kennedy · 9/11 · Challenger · Princess Diana
recollection
Recalled mental image
- retrievalAct of getting back
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
vividness · consistency · distortion · reconstruction · misremembering · overconfidence · certainty · belief · subjective · autobiographical
indelible
Impossible to remove
- unforgettablePermanently fixed in memory
- permanentFixed without end
- etchedCarved into a surface
imprinted · ingrained · lasting · long-lasting · persistent · lifelong · deep-rooted · embedded · fixed · preserved
snapshot
Informal photograph taken quickly
- crystal-clearCompletely transparent or understandable
- freeze-frameHalted motion picture image
- photographImage from a camera
cinematic · high-definition · sharp · bright · lifelike · detailed · clarity · sharpness · lucid · instantaneous
- memoryforget, recall, recollect, retain, forgetfulness
- Visual Memory
- forensic psychologyforensic evaluation, forensic interview, insanity plea, psychological assessment, legal insanity
- memory errorsmisattribution, confabulation, source confusion, paramnesia, suggestibility
flashbulb memoryforgetting
Failing to retain memories
memory decay · amnesia · transience · fading memory · fuzzy memory
flashbulb memoryprocedural memory
Unconscious learned action storage
flash, bulb, memory, flashing, flashed, flasher, flashy, flashlight, flashback