Autobiographical Memory and Cultural Background

The autobiographical memory stores memories of personally lived experiences but, beyond this sole conservation, it ensures an active role in elaborating the life history continuity and maintaining an identity coherence.

We propose in this article to present a literature review of recent and ongoing researches on the link between autobiographical memory and individuals’ cultural affiliations.

Researches in cross-cultural psychology have identified a significant relationship between the subject's cultural environment and different characteristics of the autobiographical memory.

In the field of intercultural psychology in which our research background sits, and which postulates a link between culture and psyche, researchers have identified the cultural contact as a source of identity questioning and redefining for any individual who experiences it. Thus, while the concept of autobiographical memory is strongly correlated with the concept of identity, we believe that a field of research becomes relevant to the analysis of the autobiographical memory in intercultural situations, which to our knowledge has not yet been addressed.