Description
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.
Table of Contents
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
