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21 - Narrative and Identity

The Importance of Our Personal Past in Later Life

from Part III - Aging in a Socioemotional Context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2020

By
Gerben J. Westerhof ,
Nicole Alea  and
Susan Bluck
Edited by
Ayanna K. Thomas  and
Angela Gutchess
Ayanna K. Thomas
Affiliation:
Tufts University, Massachusetts
Angela Gutchess
Affiliation:
Brandeis University, Massachusetts
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Summary

The personal past is a critical aspect of identity in adulthood, especially in the later phases of life. This chapter reviews theories and empirical evidence on how personal memories are reconstructed over time in life stories. It starts with a historical overview, next describes the functional approach that focuses on why people remember, continues with the self-memory system that provides insight in how specific memories are related to the self-concept, and finally adds a narrative perspective on how people attribute meaning to their past. The chapter takes a life-span developmental approach with a particular focus on later life. It is concluded that the construction of meaning in personal stories about the past is a ubiquitous and adaptive process. Processes of evaluation and reinterpretation of personal memories enable people to maintain a sense of self and share with others the biographical story of how their unique life has unfolded.

Keywords

agingautobiographical memoryautobiographical reasoningfunctional approachidentitylife storieslife-span developmentmeaningnarrativeself-memory systemself-continuity
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Aging
A Life Course Perspective
 , pp. 383 - 399
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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