From the individual to the collective: The emergence of a psychological approach to collective memory

Abstract

Throughout much of the 20th century, psychologists have largely examined mnemonic processes through an individualistic lens at the expense of social influences.However, this perspective began to change toward the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, when psychologists began to better appreciate the social nature of remembering. In the present paper, we focus on a relatively recent and important evolution of this line of research: the emergence of a psychological approach to collective memory. Using an epidemiological approach to collective memory, we attempt to distil the extant and relevant psychological research and focus on how (collective) memories transmit, converge, and remain stable over time while considering the bidirectional relationship between collective memory and a mnemonic community's identity. We conclude with a discussion of research areas that psychologists should examine moving forward, which will ultimately provide a more holistic understanding of how collective memories emerge, remain stable, and/or change over time.

Editors’ Introduction: Remembering With Others: Conversational Dynamics and Mnemonic Outcomes

“…This is the central theme of the collected papers included in this topic . Conversational remembering can have long‐lasting effects at multiple levels (Stone & Jay, ) and timescales (Bietti & Sutton, ): from the development of autobiographical memory in early childhood and the forging and maintenance of social bonds across the life‐span to the spread of false information and the strengthen of social cohesion through the formation of collective memories in large networks.…”

Bilişsel Psikoloji Bakış Açısından Sosyal Etkileşimin Toplumsal Bellek Üzerindeki Rolü

“…Bu bireysel bilgi ve deneyimler birbirinden bağımsız biçimlerde kodlanıp temsil ediliyor olabilir, fakat topluluk üyeleri arasındaki aktarım sırasında bu farklı anılar birbirleriyle ve diğer kültürel ürünlerle etkileşime girer ve yeniden yapılandırılır. Bu etkileşim sonucunda, paylaşılan anılar (shared memories), farklı bireysel anıların toplamının ötesinde, toplumsal bellek olarak nitelediğimiz bir bellek formu haline gelir (Hirst ve Manier, 2008;Stone ve Jay, 2019;Wertsch ve Roediger, 2008).…”

Collective Memories on the 2010 European Debt Crisis

“…Notes 1. For recent cognitive science contributions describing the possible channels, see (Gagnepain et al, 2020;Geana et al, 2019;Stone and Jay, 2019). 2.…”