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Autobiographical Memory and the Construction of A Narrative Self

Developmental and Cultural Perspectives

• Edited by Robyn Fivush, Catherine A. Haden

• Price: $89.95
• Binding: Hardback
• Pages: 256
• Published by: Psychology Press
• Publication Date: 1st March 2003
• ISBN: 978-0-8058-3756-8

About the Book

It is a truism in psychology that self and autobiographical memory are linked, yet we still know surprisingly little about the nature of this relation. Scholars from multiple disciplines, including cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and philosophy have begun theorizing and writing about the ways in which autobiographical memory is organized, the role that narratives play in the development of autobiographical memory, and the relations between autobiographical memory, narrative, and self concept. If narratives are a critical link between memory and self, then it becomes apparent that the roles of language and social interaction are paramount. These are the issues addressed in this volume.

Although individual authors offer their own unique perspectives in illuminating the nature of the link between self and memory, the contributors share a perspective that both memory and self are constructed through specific forms of social interactions and/or cultural frameworks that lead to the formation of an autobiographical narrative. Taken together, the chapters weave a coherent story about how each of us creates a life narrative embedded in social-cultural frameworks that define what is appropriate to remember, how to remember it, and what it means to be a self with an autobiographical past.

Table of Contents

Contents: R. Fivush, C.A. Haden, Introduction: Autobiographical Memory, Narrative, and Self. Part I: The Development of Autobiographical Memory and Self-Understanding. K. Nelson, Narrative and Self, Myth and Memory: Emergence of the Cultural Self. E. Reese, K. Farrant, Social Origins of Reminiscing. C.A. Haden, Joint Encoding and Joint Reminiscing: Implications for Young Children's Understanding and Remembering of Personal Experiences. Part II: Cross-Cultural Variation in Narrative Environments and Self-Construal. M.D. Leichtman, Q. Wang, D.B. Pillemer, Cultural Variations in Interdependence and Autobiographical Memory: Lessons From Korea, China, India, and the United States. H. Hayne, S. MacDonald, The Socialization of Autobiographical Memory in Children and Adults: The Roles of Culture and Gender. R.W. Schrauf, D.C. Rubin, On the Bilingual's Two Sets of Memories. Part III: The Construction of Gender and Identity Concepts in Developmental and Situational Contexts. R. Fivush, J.P. Buckner, Creating Gender and Identity Through Autobiographical Narratives. A. Thorne, K.C. McLean, Telling Traumatic Events in Adolescence: A Study of Master Narrative Positioning. D.P. McAdams, Identity and the Life Story. J. Bruner, Self-Making Narratives.