Autobiographical memory and well-being in aging: The central role of semantic self-images

Rathbone, Clare J.; Holmes, Emily A.; Murphy, Susannah E.; Ellis, Judi

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2015.02.017

Cited by 39 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Within this theoretical framework, Rathbone, Moulin, and Conway (2008) developed the I AM task, which operationalized the self as "self-images" (i.e., enduring and important facets of the self, including physical, psychological, or social aspects). Using this task, clinical findings support that the study of the self is critical in understanding how people cope with their condition and how this impacts on their psychological well-being (Rathbone, Holmes, Murphy, & Ellis, 2015). However, while a loss of or a reduction in the accessibility of selfimages has been described in clinical populations as a result of AM impairment (e.g., Addis & Tippett, 2004;Tanweer, Rathbone, & Souchay, 2010), other studies suggest that in some cases, self-images can be maintained by semantic components of AM, despite deficient episodic AM (lllman, Rathbone, Kemp, & Moulin, 2011;Rathbone et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Autobiographical memory and the self in a single-case of chronic unilateral spatial neglect

et al. 2016

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Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is mainly defined as a condition affecting perception and the mental representation of the environment. However, nothing is known about its impact on the ability to mentally represent one's past and on personal identity. We addressed these questions in a case of chronic USN, DR, a 59-year-old right-handed woman, who underwent a variety of measures exploring the self and autobiographical memory (AM). DR showed preserved self-images and her AM performance was only preserved when memories were prompted by her own self-images and not by self-unrelated cues. Our findings are discussed in light of the interconnection between the self and AM.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Autobiographical memory and the self in a single-case of chronic unilateral spatial neglect

et al. 2016

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“…In addition, we have recently found that the emotional tone of chapters is more closely associated with personality traits than the emotional tone of specific memories (Thomsen & Pillemer, ), providing further evidence for the close relationship between chapters and self‐conceptions. Similarly, Rathbone et al () discovered that the emotional tone of semantic self‐images (defined as autobiographical knowledge about the self) was more predictive of well‐being than the emotional tone of specific memories. On the basis of the above studies and reasoning, we expected the process of recalling chapters to have at least as strong an impact on conceptions of the self, here measured as self‐continuity and self‐esteem, as the process of recalling specific memories.…”

Section: What Is a Life Story Chapter?mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Autobiographical memory research has focused primarily on recollections of specific, one‐moment‐in‐time events, whereas empirical studies rarely feature extended autobiographical periods (Rathbone, Holmes, Murphy, & Ellis, ; Thomsen, ; Waters, Bauer, & Fivush, ). Nevertheless, theoretical models of autobiographical memory assign a prominent role to representations of temporally extended autobiographical periods lasting weeks, months, or years (Brown, Hansen, Lee, Vanderveen, & Conrad, ; Conway & Pleydell‐Pearce, ).…”

Section: What Is a Life Story Chapter?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Steiner

Thomsen

Pillemer

2017

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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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, selfesteem, 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 selfesteem. 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 qualities of specific life story memories.Notice: This is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Applied Cognitive Psychology. A definitive version was subsequently published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, 31, 478-487. DOI: 10.1002/acp.3343 3 Life Story Chapters, Specific Memories, and Conceptions of the Self Autobiographical memory encompasses both specific and general recollections that involve the self (Conway, Singer, & Tagini, 2004;Fivush & Haden, 2003;Prebble, Addis, & Tippett, 2013). Accordingly, when people tell their life story, they may reflect and elaborate on selected extended autobiographical periods (also termed life story chapters or simply chapters) and specific memories nested within those periods (Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000;Thomsen, 2009). For example, an older adult's account of the early years of her marriage could describe general themes that characterize that chapter of her life (e.g., "We loved each other very much and that got us through the rough patches"), or her story could highlight particularly salient episodes (e.g., "My husband was devastated when he lost his first job, but we spent a wonderful day at the lake and he was energized to try again"). The present studies addressed three central questions concerning relationships between these two distinct types of recollection and aspects of the self. When adults are instructed to recall either chapters or specific memories in their life stories, does type of recall affect their self-continuity (i.e., the sense that one is the same person over time) and self-esteem? For people who are instructed to remember chapters, is the emotional tone of their chapters related to their state and trait self-continuity and self-esteem?Are similar relationships between emotional tone, self-continuity, and self-esteem evident when people recall specific memories rather than chapters?From an applied perspective, identifying potential connections between qualities of life story chapters and aspects of the self should be of interest to clinicians: "Clinical psychologists work on a daily basis with memories, repetitive scripts, and life stories of their clients…The recent con...

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“…Also, they respond faster to positive selfdescriptive than non-self-descriptive traits, but they respond slower to negative self-descriptive than non-self-descriptive traits (Watson et al, 2007). Given the costs involved in self-positivity (Alicke & Sedikides, 2009;Rathbone et al, 2015;, researchers have looked into ways that it can be bound. We were concerned a culture-level boundary, namely the cultural value of modesty in China.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A positive self-concept is linked to psychological health benefits and higher motivation for goal pursuit both in the West and the East (Alicke & Sedikides, 2009;Dunning, 2014;O'Mara, Gaertner, Sedikides, Zhou, & Liu, 2012;Rathbone, Holmes, Murphy, & Ellis, 2015). However, it is also linked to unrealistic goal-setting and social costs (e.g., exclusion) across the cultural Divide (Dufner et al, 2013;Sedikides, Gaertner, & Cai, 2015;Sedikides, Hoorens, & Dufner, 2015;Sedikides & Luke, 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

Disowning the Self: The Cultural Value of Modesty can Attenuate Self-Positivity

Shi

Sedikides

Cai

et al. 2017

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

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Western participants endorse a higher number of positive traits as self-descriptive, but endorse a lower number of negative traits as self-descriptive. They also respond quicker to categorize positive traits as self-descriptive, but respond slower to categorize negative traits as self-descriptive. Is this self-positivity bias qualified by the cultural value of modesty? We induced modesty (vs. punctuality) and assessed self-descriptiveness judgments and response times among Chinese participants. We replicated the self-positivity bias in regards to both self-descriptiveness judgments and response times. In the case of self-descriptiveness judgments, however, the bias was partially qualified by modesty. Relative to control participants, those in the modesty condition endorsed fewer positive traits as self-descriptive, and manifested a tendency toward endorsing more negative traits as self-descriptive. In the case of response times, the self-positivity bias was unqualified by modesty. Within both conditions, participants were quicker to categorize positive traits as self-descriptive, and were slower to categorize negative traits as self-descriptive. The results speak to the relation between the self-positivity bias and the self-reference effect, and illustrate the malleability of self-processing.

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Autobiographical memory and well-being in aging: The central role of semantic self-images

Cited by 39 publications

References 73 publications

Autobiographical memory and the self in a single-case of chronic unilateral spatial neglect

Autobiographical memory and the self in a single-case of chronic unilateral spatial neglect

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

Disowning the Self: The Cultural Value of Modesty can Attenuate Self-Positivity

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