The social construction of the personal past and its implications for adult development.

Abstract

This article examines conversational recounting about experiences as a potential mechanism by which people socially construct themselves and their worlds over the life span and the resulting implications for understanding adult development. Two principles governing conversational recounting of past events are proposed: coconstruction (the joint influences of speakers and contexts on conversational reconstructions of past events) and consistency (the influence of a conversational reconstruction on subsequent memory). Operating together, the principles provide an account for how autobiographical memory is socially constructed. In addition, the principles may illuminate how conversations about the past can influence the development of identity in adulthood.

The Benefits and Risks of Telling and Listening to Stories of Difficulty Over Time: Experimentally Testing the Expressive Writing Paradigm in the Context of Interpersonal Communication Between Friends

“…Perhaps listeners allow themselves to become less skillful over time in responding to the teller, resulting in increased face threats and decreased perspective taking and competence. Consistent with Pasupathi's (2001) discussion of the importance of listeners in (re)storying difficult events, when listeners seem increasingly disinterested, tellers may not experience many benefits from the process of telling the story. They, in turn, may then become disappointed in the listeners and their communication abilities.…”

“…Pasupathi, 2001). Yet individuals experiencing stress may be more likely to talk about their problems with friends than they are to keep a journal and may discuss their problems more than once.…”

Informant Discrepancies in the Assessment of Childhood Psychopathology: A Critical Review, Theoretical Framework, and Recommendations for Further Study.

“…6 Perspective and memory recall. The ABC Model is also informed by research and theory on the influence of people's perspective taking on memory recall (e.g., Baumeister & Newman, 1994;Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000;Pasupathi, 2001;Tversky & Marsh, 2000). Specifically, evidence suggests that the perspective or stance people have when they recall events from memory determines their memory recall.…”

The Self and Autobiographical Memory: Correspondence and Coherence

“…The units of the conceptual self are socially-constructed schemas and categories that help to define the self, other people, and typical interactions with others and the surrounding world. These schemas and categories are drawn largely from the influences of familial and peer socialization, schooling, and religion, as well as the stories, fairy-tales, myths, and media influences that are constitutive of an individual's particular culture (Bruner, 1990;Pasupathi, 2001;Shweder & Bourne, 1984). As Figure 2 indicates, the reciprocal arrow between the autobiographical knowledge base and the conceptual self signifies that each informs and constrains the other.…”