Life Story Chapters, Specific Memories, and Conceptions of the Self

Summary Two studies investigated the effects of recalling either life story chapters or specific memories on measures of self‐continuity and self‐esteem. Participants were assigned to recall important chapters, important specific memories, or impersonal facts, and they provided ratings of emotional...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied cognitive psychology 2017-09, Vol.31 (5), p.478-487
Main Authors: Steiner, Kristina L., Thomsen, Dorthe Kirkegaard, Pillemer, David B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Memories
Mood
Positive emotions
Self esteem
Statistical analysis
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Summary:Summary Two studies investigated the effects of recalling either life story chapters or specific memories on measures of self‐continuity and self‐esteem. Participants were assigned to recall important chapters, important specific memories, or impersonal facts, and they provided ratings of emotional tone. Participants also completed trait and state measures of self‐continuity, self‐esteem, and mood. Although effects of recall condition on state and trait measures were not statistically significant, within‐group analyses identified strong and consistent relationships between the positivity of life story chapters and both trait and state self‐continuity and self‐esteem. In contrast, the positivity of specific memories was related only to state self‐esteem. Qualities of life story chapters appear to be more central to enduring conceptions of the self than do qualities of specific life story memories.Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0888-4080
1099-0720
DOI:10.1002/acp.3343