ABSTRACT
A major function of autobiographical memory is to define self as coherent and consistent across time, creating a subjective perspective that integrates the past, present, and future through autobiographical consciousness. It is not simply recalling what happened, but narratively integrating evaluations, interpretations, and perspectives on past experiences that create an autobiography. In this chapter, I describe how autobiographical consciousness is constructed through early parentally scaffolded narrative interactions that highlight the subjective perspective of self and other; both narratives and subjective perspective become more complex during adolescence and early adulthood, with the development of increasingly sophisticated temporal reasoning and perspective-taking skills. In developing autobiographical consciousness, we simultaneously define meaning and purpose in life. The story of who we are includes values, beliefs, and commitments about who we were, who we are, and who we want to become. This very personal sense of self, of subjective consciousness, may feel like one of our most private possessions, but it is constructed through social reminiscing interactions that provide the narrative tools and evaluative frameworks that allow this type of memory to unfold dynamically across development.
