The Negative Self In Early Childhood Memories

The aim of this research was to identify a set of
self-evaluative themes in the early memories of
currently depressed, currently anxious, socially
anxious and non-depressed/non-anxious individuals.
The research was designed to test whether these
themes are consistent with two models of depression,
a model of anxiety and a model of social anxiety.
The models of depression and anxiety are from the
personality framework (sociotropy and/or autonomy as
depressive vulnerabilities). Bruhn s Early Memory
Procedure is from a cognitive-perceptual model which
uses a projective technique to obtain themes
reflecting cognitive processes, personality
tendencies and affective states of the respondent.
The study found an association between personality
and perceptions of self and others, level of
negative affect, type and content of memories as
well as a fear of negative evaluation. It also
validated the use of Bruhn s Early Memory Procedure
to predict vulnerability to psychopathology in a non-
clinical population.

Autorentext

Dr Lorraine E. Fleckhammer, B.A. (Hons, Psychology), PhD (SUT), Grad Cert in Teaching/Learning Higher Education, is an Academic Psychologist (PRBV). A graduate of Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) Melbourne, Australia, she lectures in psychology at SUT, where she also coordinates the Bachelor of Behavioural Studies.

Klappentext

The aim of this research was to identify a set of self-evaluative themes in the early memories of currently depressed, currently anxious, socially anxious and non-depressed/non-anxious individuals. The research was designed to test whether these themes are consistent with two models of depression, a model of anxiety and a model of social anxiety. The models of depression and anxiety are from the personality framework (sociotropy and/or autonomy as depressive vulnerabilities). Bruhn's Early Memory Procedure is from a cognitive-perceptual model which uses a projective technique to obtain themes reflecting cognitive processes, personality tendencies and affective states of the respondent. The study found an association between personality and perceptions of self and others, level of negative affect, type and content of memories as well as a fear of negative evaluation. It also validated the use of Bruhn's Early Memory Procedure to predict vulnerability to psychopathology in a non-clinical population.