The Impact of Negative Personality Memories on the Features of Self-Perception

Abstract

The question of the memory impact on personality is topical and requires experimental research. The article presents theoretical analysis of autobiographical memory aspects that can combine the areas of personality functioning and mnemonic processes. In the context of the development of G.K. Sereda's ideas about the relationship and interaction of memory and personality, an empirical study was conducted to elicit the impact of negative memories on self-perception characteristics of personality in middle-aged and older people. R. Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire was chosen as a method of studying the peculiarities of self-perception. Between two stages of the questionnaire application we used the autobiographical interview, designed to actualize negative memories, that took the position of experimental intervention and became a source of memories as a material for qualitative analysis. The study involved 32 participants from different professions with a middle age fluctuating near 57. It has been found that among middle-aged and older people the actualization of negative memories leads to certain changes in personality self-perception immediately after the process of recollection. Above all, these changes refer to self-control, courage, self-esteem, dominance, warmth, emotional stability, abstractedness, apprehension, self-reliance, openness to change, vigilance, liveliness, sensitivity, privateness and rule-consciousness. So undoubtedly, negative memories have some influence on changes in one's vision of one's own personality, but variously, in different ways. As it has been demonstrated, these changes are related to the organization of the narrative, the accompanying and following reactions, the thematic focus of the story etc. The obtained results confirmed G.K. Sereda`s assumption about the impact of memory on the personality, at least within a short period of time.