This is a Lexicon entry: the mechanism, when it shows up, and the countermeasure. The full correction, with real-world cases and the audit prompt, hasn't been written yet.
Definition
A psychological defence mechanism where the negative intensity of bad memories fades faster than the positive intensity of good memories.
When it shows up
When comparing the emotional intensity of past bad memories to past good ones; when evaluating how bad something was. In expert witness testimony: when a specialist forgets what they did not know at the time of an event. In code documentation: when a developer cannot reconstruct the reasoning behind their own decisions three months later.
Failure mode
Rosy retrospection combined with faded bad memories produces systematic distortion of the past. Past relationships, jobs or periods remembered as better than they were.
Countermeasure
Make contemporaneous notes during important periods. Trust real-time records over retrospective memory, especially for evaluative judgments about experiences.
Related traps
Also connected in the map5 more, locked
Credit & first seen
DiscoveredWalker, W.R., Skowronski, J.J.&Thompson, C.P. (2003).'Life is pleasant - and memory helps to keep it that way!'Review of General Psychology 7(2), 203-210 source ↗
Also revealed
Entry #121 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon