Unraveling the tales of our lives: Does coherence matter and for what?

Autobiographical memory consists of an intricate network of personal experiences that form an integral part of the self. Studying affective and structural characteristics of autobiographical memories aid our understanding of the relation between the latter and psychological functioning. This doctoral thesis centers around one such characteristic in particular. Memory coherence can be conceptualized as the ability to place events in time, develop a central theme, and achieve a sense of resolution. This doctoral thesis provides an expansion upon past research by investigating the interplay between memory coherence, psychological functioning, and rumination. Although the study of memory coherence is embedded in an elaborate theoretical framework based on the assumption that constructing coherent memories or narratives relates to and is even beneficial for psychological well-being, findings from the present dissertation suggest that there may be specific boundary conditions to these positive effects. It seems that the emphasis should not solely be placed on memory coherence as an end result, but that the process of how coherence was achieved should be taken into account. More specifically, our findings suggest that more memory coherence is indeed related to more psychological well-being when coherence is achieved through positive meaning making. When coherence is the result of ruminative thinking, however, it appears that more coherence is related to less psychological well-being and to the presence of depressive symptoms. As our daily interactions as well as therapeutic contacts are permeated with narratives, expanding our knowledge on these boundary conditions seems a valuable line of research.

Publication year:2020

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