Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self

Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self demonstrates that, through participating in family reminiscing, 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.

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.

Autorentext

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.

Zusammenfassung
Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self demonstrates that, through participating in family reminiscing, 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.

Inhalt

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