The effect of dysphoria on the relationship between autobiographical memories and the self

Two experiments investigated the bi-directional relationship between episodic autobiographical memories (ABMs) and semantic self-images in dysphoric and nondysphoric individuals. Participants in Experiment 1 generated positive and negative "I am" statements, which were then used to cue spe...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognition and emotion 2021-02, Vol.35 (1), p.71-83
Main Authors: Grace, Lydia, Dewhurst, Stephen A., Anderson, Rachel J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autobiographical memory
Cues
dysphoria
Life history
Memories
Mental depression
Positive emotions
positivity bias
self-enhancement
self-images
Selfstatements
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Two experiments investigated the bi-directional relationship between episodic autobiographical memories (ABMs) and semantic self-images in dysphoric and nondysphoric individuals. Participants in Experiment 1 generated positive and negative "I am" statements, which were then used to cue specific ABMs. Nondysphoric participants generated similar numbers of ABMs to positive and negative cues, suggesting both positive and negative self-images are supported by clusters of specific ABMs. The same was observed in dysphoric participants, but phenomenological ratings showed that they rated positive ABMs as less vivid, and negative ABMs more central to their life story, than the nondysphoric group. Participants in Experiment 2 retrieved positive or negative ABMs and then generated "I am" self-statements. Retrieving positive ABMs increased the positivity of self-statements in the nondysphoric but not the dysphoric group. These findings suggest the interaction between ABMs and self-images functions to promote a positive view of the self, but this is disrupted in dysphoria.
ISSN:0269-9931
1464-0600
DOI:10.1080/02699931.2020.1802231