Trait Dissociation and the Subjective Affective, Motivational, and Phenomenological Experience of Self-Defining Memories

Abstract

The present research reports two studies that examine the relation between non-pathological trait dissociation and the subjective affect, motivation, and phenomenology of self-defining memories. In Study 1 (N=293), participants retrieved and rated the emotional and motivational experience of a general and a positive and negative achievement-related memory. Study 2 (N=449) extended these ratings to relationship-related memories and the phenomenological experience of the memory. Dissociation was associated with incongruent affect in valenced memories (e.g., positive affect in a negative memory) and memories that were visually incoherent and saturated with power motivation, hubristic pride, and shame, regardless of valence or domain. The present findings demonstrate that autobiographical memories, which integrate emotional, motivational, and phenomenological components, reflect the emotional and motivational processes inherent to dissociation.

Contributing factors predicting nightmares in children: Trauma, anxiety, dissociation, and emotion regulation.

“…Second, dissociative individuals experience situations more vividly, have distinct patterns of memory, and immerse themselves more deeply in emotion (Bernstein & Putnam, 1986; Blagov & Singer, 2004). Dissociative individuals typically report memories that are highly saturated with negative and positive emotions (Sutin & Stockdale, 2011). Therefore, the relationship between nightmares and dissociation could be attributed to dissociative individuals recalling nightmares more often due to the vividness of the nightmare.…”

Switch Function and Pathological Dissociation in Acute Psychiatric Inpatients

“…Swift switching to a new mental set may also impose an interference effect on the activation of target representations [ 24 , 59 ] and even the associations between target representations and contextual details [ 60 ], leading to unusual forgetfulness of autobiographical experience. Autobiographical memory thus may be poorly regulated, preventing the formation of coherent and stable self-knowledge [ 61 ]. Detecting switching behavior within a clinical session may be crucial to understand a client’s internal conflicts related to the change and beneficial to treatment [ 62 , 63 ].…”

Self‐Defining Memories, Scripts, and the Life Story: Narrative Identity in Personality and Psychotherapy

“…These iconic memories within narrative identity have been operationalized as self‐defining memories and have been the subject of multiple studies over the last 20 years (e.g., Blagov & Singer, ; Jobson & O'Kearney, ; McLean & Pasupathi, ; McLean & Thorne, ; Moffitt & Singer, ; Singer & Moffitt, ; Singer & Salovey, ; Sutherland & Bryant, ; Sutin & Robins, ; Sutin & Stockdale, ; Thorne, McLean, & Lawrence, ; Wood & Conway, ). Similar to life‐story memories, self‐defining memories are vivid, affectively intense, and well‐rehearsed.…”