Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self: Social and Cultural Perspectives on Autobiographical Memory (Essays in Developmental Psychology)

"Stories are central to our world. We form our families, our communities, and our nations through stories. It is through stories of our everyday experiences that each of us constructs an autobiographical self, a narrative identity, that confers a sense of coherence and meaning to our individual lives. In this volume, Robyn Fivush describes how this deeply personal autobiographical self is socially and culturally constructed. Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self demonstrates that, through participating in family reminiscing, in which adults help children learn the forms and functions of talking about the past, young children come to understand and evaluate their experiences, and create a sense of self defined through individual and family stories that provide an anchor for understanding self, others, and the world. Fivush draws on three decades of research, from her own lab and from others, to demonstrate the critical role that family stories and family storytelling play in child development and outcome. This volume is essential reading for students and researchers interested in psychology, human development, and family studies"--Publisher's description Cover 1 Half Title 4 Series Page 5 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 List of Narratives 12 Preface 15 1 Introduction 18 2 Autobiographical Memory: Theoretical Foundations 25 Defining Autobiographical Memory 26 Autobiographical Memory is Reconstructive 29 Autobiographical Memory Normally Varies in Accuracy and Stability 31 The Functions of Autobiographical Memory 32 Directing Future Behavior 32 Defining Self and Relationships 34 Regulating Emotions 36 Cultural Life Scripts, Master Narratives, and Autobiography 37 Summary 40 3 The Autobiographical Self: Developmental Foundations 41 The Development of Episodic Memory 43 The Transition from Episodic to Autobiographical Memory 45 Self in the Present 45 Self in the Past 46 Linking the Present Self to the Past Self 47 Acquiring Theory of Mind 48 Language and Narrative in Autobiography 50 The Social Construction of a Temporally Extended Self 52 4 Maternal Reminiscing Style: The Emergence of Individual Differences in the Autobiographical Self 56 Defining Maternal Reminiscing Style: Early Beginnings 58 Initial Questions 58 Basic Methodology 59 Are There Individual Differences in Maternal Reminiscing? 60 Does Maternal Reminiscing Style Matter? 60 Elaborating on Maternal Elaborative Style 67 Maternal Characteristics Related to Reminiscing Style 67 Child Characteristics Related to Reminiscing Style 68 Relational Characteristics: Attachment and Maternal Reminiscing Style 70 Summary 73 5 The Developing Autobiographical Self: How Gender Matters 74 Mothers and Fathers 74 Daughters and Sons 77 Beyond the Preschool Years 78 Gendered Language 80 The Emergence of Gender Differences in Autobiographical Narratives 82 Summary 84 6 Why Reminiscing Matters: How Early Parent–Child Reminiscing Shapes Cognitive Outcomes 86 Language and Literacy 86 Strategic Memory 88 Theory of Mind 92 Summary 94 7 Why Reminiscing Matters: How Early Parent–ChildReminiscing Shapes Social and Emotional Outcomes 96 Emotional Regulation 96 Self-Concept 102 Summary 104 8 Family Reminiscing: How Families Share the Personaland Family Past 106 The Ecology of Family Narratives 108 Shared Family Narratives 109 Narratives Around the Dinner Table 112 Family Reminiscing and Emotional Well-Being 117 Summary 118 9 The Life Story: Adolescence and the Emergence of an Autobiographical Voice 119 Adolescence and the Emergence of Identity 121 The Life Narrative 122 Family Reminiscing and the Construction of Personal Life Narratives 123 Enduring Effects of Early Maternal Reminiscing Style 124 Changes in Autobiographical Reminiscing Across Childhood 125 Narrative Meaning-Making,Voice, and Well-Being 128 Gendered Narrative Voices 129 Gender Identity 132 Narrative Voice and Well-Being 133 Beyond Adolescence: Narrative Identity and Well-Being 134 Summary 135 10 Beyond the Autobiographical Self: The Intergenerational Self 136 Intergenerational Narratives as Frameworks 136 Intergenerational Narratives Told and Heard 137 Intergenerational Narratives, Identity, and Well-Being 141 Modeling Narrative Identity 142 Family History and the Benefits of Telling Family Stories 144 Summary 145 11 Beyond the Autobiographical Self: The Cultural Self 146 Culture and Narrative 147 Master Narratives 148 Culture and Autobiographical Memory 150 Culture and Maternal Reminiscing Style 150 Cultural Narrative Identities in Adolescence 154 The Expression of Cultural Identities in Family Reminiscing 157 Cultural Identities in Family Narratives 158 Intergenerational Narratives Across Cultures 160 Cultural Identities in Historical Context 161 Summary 162 12 The Dark Side of Family Stories 163 Family Secrets 164 Voice and Silence in Shared Family Stories 165 Psychopathology, Family Violence, and Reminiscing 167 Voice and Silence in Intergenerational Narratives 170 Traumatizing Family Histories 171 Summary 173 13 The Autobiographical Self: Beginnings, Middles, andEnds 174 Stories Yet Untold 176 Coda 177 References 178 Index 198 Introduction -- Autobiographical Memory: Theoretical Foundations -- The Autobiographical Self: Developmental Foundations -- Maternal Reminiscing Style: The Emergence Of Individual Differences In The Utobiographical Self -- The Developing Autobiographical Self: How Gender Matters -- Why Reminiscing Matters: How Early Parent-child Reminiscing Shapes Cognitive Outcomes -- Why Reminiscing Matters: How Early Parent-child Reminiscing Shapes Social And Emotional Outcomes -- Family Reminiscing -- The Emergence Of The Life Story And Autobiographical Voice -- Beyond The Autobiographical Self: The Intergenerational Self -- Beyond The Autobiographical Self: The Cultural Self -- The Dark Side Of Family Stories -- The Autobiographical Self: Beginnings, Middles, Ends, And Beginnings Again. Robyn Fivush. Psychology Press Book--cover. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.