1st Edition

Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self Social and Cultural Perspectives on Autobiographical Memory

By Robyn Fivush Copyright 2019
    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    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.

    Preface

    Chapter 1 Introduction

    Chapter 2 Autobiographical Memory: Theoretical Foundations

    Chapter 3 The Autobiographical Self: Developmental Foundations

    Chapter 4 Maternal Reminiscing Style: The Emergence of Individual Differences in the Autobiographical Self

    Chapter 5 The Developing Autobiographical Self: How Gender Matters

    Chapter 6 Why Reminiscing Matters: How Early Parent-Child Reminiscing Shapes Cognitive Outcomes

    Chapter 7 Why Reminiscing Matters: How Early Parent-Child Reminiscing Shapes Social and Emotional Outcomes

    Chapter 8 Family Reminiscing: How Families Share the Personal and Family Past

    Chapter 9 The Life Story: Adolescence and the Emergence of an Autobiographical Voice

    Chapter 10 Beyond the Autobiographical Self: The Intergenerational Self

    Chapter 11 Beyond the Autobiographical Self: The Cultural Self

    Chapter 12 The Dark Side of Family Stories

    Chapter 13 The Autobiographical Self: Beginnings, Middles, and Ends

     

    Biography

    Robyn Fivush is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Emory University. She has conducted foundational research on the sociocultural construction of autobiographical memory.

    Robyn Fivush is the world’s leading authority on autobiographical memory development. Her landmark book examines how parent-child reminiscing and family storytelling shape personal identity using multiple levels of analysis—individual, social, family, cultural, and collective. Fivush convincingly shows how qualities of personal and family narratives are linked to healthy day-to-day functioning and general well-being, and these insights increase the book’s broad practical appeal. The history of autobiographical memory research will portray Fivush as a major innovator and creator; this elegant, insightful and accessible book cements her legacy and will provide inspiration to new generations of scholars.

    David B. Pillemer, Dr. Samuel E. Paul Professor of Developmental Psychology, University of New Hampshire

    In this authoritative and engaging volume, Robyn Fivush describes a life’s work dedicated to understanding the psychological dynamics that lie at the intersection of memory, language, culture, and the self.  Fivush blends lively interview accounts with a wide-ranging discussion of theory and research to tell the fascinating story of how we human beings learn to tell stories about ourselves, and about the worlds we inhabit. 

    Dan P. McAdams, The Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University, and author of The Art and Science of Personality Development

    There are no easy-to-manage participant self-reports at the heart of this fascinating ten-year effort by the leading scholar of the development of children’s autobiographical narratives.  Stories in their full personal, family, and cultural complexity are analyzed in sophisticated and subtle ways to understand autobiographical memory and the concepts of self it contains.  The book bridges developmental, cognitive, and social psychology with a style and sophistication refined by forty years of wonder about narrative and how it affects everyday behavior. 

    David C. Rubin, Juanita M. Kreps Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University

    In this volume, Professor Fivush illustrates the power of stories and the importance of listening to them and telling and retelling them. She weaves the tale of more than three decades of research into how children, dyads, and families share the stories of their lives, and how the stories in turn shape the people who tell them. The book is skillfully written, interweaving personal narratives with scholarly interpretations. Those who take a scientific perspective on the subject—and those who delve into autobiography because of their love of stories—will be equally compelled by this volume; it speaks in science, and it speaks in what it means to be human.

    Patricia Bauer, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Psychology, Emory University

    This book is a beautifully told story about family stories and the effect they have on us all. It offers a panoramic landscape of the family story literature, stitching together the research on autobiographical memory and narrative across development in a theoretically rich and integrative way. The personal narratives throughout enliven the findings and ground the theory.  Robyn Fivush’s wisdom shines through on every page and will inspire a new generation of researchers to study this fascinating field.

    Professor Elaine Reese, University of Otago, Psychology Department