Remembering the self in cultural contexts: A cultural dynamic theory of autobiographical memory

Abstract

People from different cultures often tell diverse stories about their past experiences. Research in the past two decades has revealed systematic differences in the content (self-focus vs other-focus), structure (specific vs general), valence (positive vs negative), accessibility (memory density and detailedness), developmental origin (age and density of earliest childhood memories), and functional usage (self-definition, relationship maintenance, behavioral guidance, and emotion regulation) of autobiographical memory across cultures. I outline a cultural dynamic theory of autobiographical memory that aims to synthesize the findings and provide a coherent guide to future investigation. The theory posits that (1) autobiographical memory takes place in the dynamic transaction between an active individual and his or her changing environment; (2) it is situated in culturally conditioned time and space over a multitude of timescales; and (3) it develops in the process of children acquiring cultural knowledge about the self and the purpose of the past through early socialization. I further discuss how the theory can provide insights into collective memory and future simulation.