ABSTRACT
Autobiographical memory is our memory for our life story. Sometimes these memories are intentionally recalled, and other times unintentionally. Autobiographical memory is reconstructive and interpretive. It is made up of facts and inferences. The facts can be general ones of our lives, or facts about specific and general events. There are also themes, such as education, careers, and personal relationships. We can shift memory perspective from the one we had at the time, to those of other people. Autobiographical remembering is guided by current knowledge and biases, as well as our scripts, schemas, and culture. Part of the reason we will remember our late teens and early twenties so well is because our culture tells us that it is where we should emphasize and remember more from that time. That said, sometimes unexpected, emotional events occur, resulting in flashbulb memories. Moreover generally, over time, autobiographical memory takes on a more positive emotional spin. Finally, autobiographical memory is shaped by the groups that we belong to, including your family, schools, towns, nations, and so on, as with collective memories, living in history experiences, and by stories that younger generations hear from older generations.
