193-228

Autobiographical memory and ‘‘forgetting’’ in personal, familial, and social context

• Μαντόγλου, Άννα

The aim of the present research was to study autobiographical memory and “forgetting”. Participants in the study were 575 males and 635 females, of different age groups; they were asked to write down three events “worth remembering” and three events “they would rather forget” in personal, familial, and social context. Results revealed that autobiographical memory comprises nice and pleasant events conducive to an individual’s positive self-image and self-enhancement. In contrast, events of autobiographical “forgetting” were hurtful, distressful and anxiety-provoking, making them feel shame, wishing they had never occurred. The latter kind of events was particularly observed in the context of social autobiographical “forgetting”, which comprised traumatic, humiliating, forbidden events, cast out of memory for the sake of morality and silences. It was also found that selection of autobiographical memory and “forgetting” depended on participants’ age. Finally, the contents of the autobiographical memory and “forgetting” were constructed upon everyday relationships individuals maintained with members of their in-groups. Family, school, peers, colleagues, the historical, the social and political framework of their time provided individuals with self-defining references. It is concluded that the main function of the autobiographical memory and “forgetting” is the construction and defense of the individual’s personal and social identity.

• Psychology
• Sociology

• Memory
• Ψυχολογία
• Statistics

αυτοβιογραφική “λήθη”, αυτοβιογραφική μνήμη, κοινωνικό πλαίσιο, κοινωνική ταυτότητα, autobiographical memory, autobiographical “forgetting”, social context, social identity

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