Unconscious adaptation through the selective forgetting of negative experiences can have a dual effect on the perception of reality and decision-making.

Selective Forgetting: A Double-Edged Sword in Emotional Adaptation

Unconscious adaptation through the selective forgetting of negative experiences can have a dual effect on the perception of reality and decision-making. On one hand, this mechanism allows the psyche to “free itself” from the emotional burden of the past, essentially mitigating the impact of negative emotions on current experiences. However, at the same time, it may lead to an incomplete or distorted assessment of a situation, since negative experiences—albeit painful—often contain important information about potential risks and mistakes. If a person continuously forgets negative experiences, they risk losing the ability to fully feel the entire spectrum of emotions—both negative and positive. As noted in one of the sources:

"Passion is an intense emotion. In order for life to be filled with passion, one must know how to manage one's negative emotions. If a person simply suppresses negative emotions, their ability to feel positive ones gradually dulls. As a result, they lose the ability to love, rejoice, trust, and experience inner peace. Failures inevitably follow those who make decisions or take actions based solely on negative emotions. To succeed in life, a person must learn to feel negative emotions and then let them go. Consequently, positive feelings return to that person, after which they can make healthy decisions that lead to success." (source: link txt)

Thus, ignoring or forgetting negative experiences may deprive an individual of the chance to learn from mistakes, making them predisposed to repeating unsuccessful decisions or misperceiving reality. On the other hand, as mentioned in another discussion, the ability to forget painful experiences can serve as a basis for gaining wisdom, for "on the field cleansed of the bustle of oblivion, wisdom grows." This indicates that selective forgetting can provide space for personal growth if balanced properly with conscious experience.

Therefore, unconscious adaptation—manifested through the selective forgetting of negative experiences—affects both the perception of reality and decision-making in the following manner: while it can alleviate emotional overload and prevent paralysis by negativity, excessive use of this process deprives the individual of the essential experience needed for objective situational assessment and the development of optimal decisions.

Supporting citation(s):
"Passion is an intense emotion. In order for life to be filled with passion, one must know how to manage one's negative emotions. If a person simply suppresses negative emotions, their ability to feel positive ones gradually dulls. As a result, they lose the ability to love, rejoice, trust, and experience inner peace. Failures inevitably follow those who make decisions or take actions based solely on negative emotions. To succeed in life, a person must learn to feel negative emotions and then let them go. Consequently, positive feelings return to that person, after which they can make healthy decisions that lead to success." (source: link txt)

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Oblivion, have you absorbed all the injustices of my life, all the sorrows and all the pains, all the fears of life?