The Autobiographical Self in Time and Culture

Abstract

This book traces the developmental, social, cultural, and historical origins of the autobiographical self—the self that is made of memories of the personal past and of the family and the community. It combines rigorous research, compelling theoretical insights, sensitive survey of real memories and memory conversations, and fascinating personal anecdotes to convey a message: The autobiographical self is conditioned by one's time and culture. The book begins with an examination of parent-child reminiscing to illustrate the construction of the autobiographical self in the process of family storytelling situated in cultural contexts. It then contrasts the development of autobiographical writings in Western and Chinese literatures to reveal the cultural stance of the autobiographical self in historical time. It further examines the autobiographical self in personal time, analyzing everyday memories to reveal the role of culturally prioritized self-goals in modulating information processing and determining how the autobiographical self is remembered. Then focusing on the phenomenon of childhood amnesia, it addresses the question of when the autobiographical self begins from a cross-cultural perspective. The book explores some of the most controversial issues in current psychological research of autobiographical memory, such as memory representations versus memory narratives and silence versus voice in the construction of the autobiographical self. It ends with historical analyses…