Memory in life transitions

This chapter explores the transformation of autobiographical memory in life transitions. To do so, it proposes a model of autobiographical memory as an oriented sociocultural act, whereby the person imaginatively distances herself from past experiences to produce a meaningful discourse on her past. This model is applied to the development of autobiographical memory during adolescence, a crucial period in this regard, and is used to analyze a series of longitudinal documentaries on teenagers in Switzerland. Based on two case studies, it is argued that adolescents learn to make sense of their past by building on previous recalls of their experiences, successively reworking their interpretation of what happened. As they discover new concepts, interlocutors, and cultural tools, they learn to distance themselves from their experiences to produce stories that are meaningful for their present selves, which they can share with others, and that can be turned into lessons to be learned.