Autobiographical Memory and the Self Relationship and Implications for Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

Autobiographical memory shapes our understanding of ourselves, guides our behaviour, and helps us to develop and maintain relationships with others. The ways in which we interpret and narrate our memories have important implications for our psychological well-being, and can sometimes contribute to the onset and maintenance of a variety of psychological disorders.

Autobiographical Memory and the Self: Relationship and Implications for Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy synthesises the growing cognitive, social, personality, and clinical psychological literature on the memory-self relationship. It creates an interdisciplinary dialogue which explores autobiographical memory and its relevance for clinical practice, especially cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).

The authors propose a model for understanding the mechanisms of change involved in therapeutic interventions targeting negative or traumatic memories whilst providing insights into recent debates and avenues for future research. Autobiographical Memory and the Self will be useful to clinicians and clinical trainees, researchers, and psychology postgraduate students.

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction to Autobiographical Memory and Its Functions

Chapter 2: The Journey from Concrete Experience to Abstract Self-Knowledge: How Autobiographical Memory Contributes to the Development of the Self

Chapter 3: Not Just a Long-Term Affair: How Autobiographical Memory Retrieval Exerts an Immediate Influence On the Self

Chapter 4: Implications of The Memory-Self Relationship for Psychological Well-Being

Chapter 5: Implications of The Memory-Self Relationship and Narrative Identity Literature for Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy

Chapter 6: What Next? Reflections and Directions for Future Research on the Memory-Self Relationship

Index

Soljana Çili is Lecturer in Psychology at the University of the Arts London and a visiting academic at the University of Southampton, UK. Her research focuses on the memory-imagery-self relationship.

Lusia Stopa is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Southampton, UK. Her research examines how imagery represents the self and how imagery interventions can change negative self-views.