Beyond the Archive
Narrative as an Elaborative Rehearsal for Autobiographical Memories
Abstract
The present work aims to reflect on the relationship among autobiographical memory, narrative, and the relational context in which life events are narrated and received, with the aim of examining the elaborative and transformative properties of the latter. Through a review of theoretical models and empirical evidence concerning the relationship between memory and narrative, the author reflects on the elaboration of the personal past by moving beyond the view of memory as a mere archive of contents and instead proposing a plastic and continuously evolving conception of the autobiographical repertoire of memories.
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References
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Brockmeier, J. (2015). Beyond the Archive: Memory, Narrative, and the Autobiographical Process. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bruner, JM. (1986). Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Cambridge-London: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, JM. (1990). Acts of Meaning. Cambridge-Mass: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, JM. (1991). The Narrative Construction of Reality. Critical Inquiry, 18 (1), 1-21.
Bruner, JM. (2004). Life as Narrative. Social Research, 71 (3), 691-710.
Conway, M.A. (2005). Memory and the Self. Journal of Memory and Language, 53, 594-628.
Conway, M. A., & Pleydell-Pearce, C. W. (2000). The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system. Psychological Review, 107(2), 261–88.
Fioretti, C. (2025). Narrative in Doctor-Patient Communication. In Volkman, J. (Ed). A Multi-Perspective Approach to Narratives in Health Communication. Bloomsbury Editors (pp. 73-90).
Fioretti, C., & Smorti, A. (2015). How emotional content of memories changes in narrative. Narrative Inquire, 25(1), 37-56.
Fioretti, C., & Smorti, A. (2017). Narrating positive versus negative memories of illness: Does narrating influence the availability and the emotional involvement of memories of illness? European Journal of Cancer Care, 23(4), e12524.
Fioretti, C., Pascuzzi, D., & Smorti, A. (2017). The Role of the Listener on the Emotional Valence of Personal Memories in Emerging Adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 24(4), . DOI: 10.1007/s10804-017-9263-z. ISSN: 10680667.
Freud, S. (1914). Ricordare, ripetere e rielaborare [In Opere di Sigmund Freud, vol. 7 (1912 - 1914), Boringhieri, Torino 1975, pp. 353-361, trad. di Cesare Musatti]
Haden, C., Haine, R., & Fivush, R. (1997). Developing narrative structure in parent-child conversations about the past. Developmental Psychology, 33, 295-307.
McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5, 100-122.
McWilliams, N. (2017). Il Caso Clinico. Raffaello Cortina Editore.
McLeod, J. (1997). Narrative and psychotherapy. London: Sage.
Nelson, K., & Fivush, R. (2004). The emergence of autobiographical memory: a social cultural developmental theory. Psychological Review, 111(2), 486–511.
Ninio, A., & Bruner, J. (1978). The achievement and antecedents of labeling, Journal of Child Language, 5, 1-15.
Pascuzzi, D., Fioretti, C., Smorti, A. (2017). Sharing of emotional memories with a listener: Differences between adolescents and emerging adults. Journal of Youth Studies, 20 (7), pp. 927-944. ISSN: 1469-9680, doi: 10.1080/13676261.2016.1273521.
Pasupathi, M. (2001). The social construction of the personal past and its implications for adult development. Psychological Bulletin, 127(5), 651–72.
Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotion. New York: Guilford Press .
Pennebaker, J.W., Colder, M., and Sharp, L.K. (1990) Accelerating the coping process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 528-537.
Pennebaker J.W., Francis M.E. and Booth R.J. (2001) Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC): A Computerized Text Analysis Program. Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum Publishers.
Pennebaker J.W., Kiecolt-Glaser J. E. and Glaser R. (1988). Disclosure of traumas and immune function: Health implications for psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 239-245.
Pillemer, D. B. (1998). What is remembered about early childhood events? Clinical Psychology Review, 18(8), 895–913.
Sales, J. M., Fivush, R., & Peterson, C. (2003). Parental Reminiscing About Positive and Negative Events. Journal of Cognition and Development, 4(2), 185–209.
Schacter, D., Addis, D., Buckner, R. (2008). Episodic Simulation of Future Events. Annals of the year in Cognitive Neuroscience, 1124, 39-60.
Smorti, A. (2011) Autobiographical memory and autobiographical narrative. Which is the relationship? Narrative inquire, 21(2), 303-310.
Smorti, A., & Fioretti, C. (2016). Why narrating changes memory: a contribution to an integrative model of memory and narrative processes. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 50, 296–319
Tulving, E. & Craik, F. (2000). The Oxford Handbook of Memory. Oxford University Press.
Brockmeier, J. (2015). Beyond the Archive: Memory, Narrative, and the Autobiographical Process. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bruner, JM. (1986). Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Cambridge-London: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, JM. (1990). Acts of Meaning. Cambridge-Mass: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, JM. (1991). The Narrative Construction of Reality. Critical Inquiry, 18 (1), 1-21.
Bruner, JM. (2004). Life as Narrative. Social Research, 71 (3), 691-710.
Conway, M.A. (2005). Memory and the Self. Journal of Memory and Language, 53, 594-628.
Conway, M. A., & Pleydell-Pearce, C. W. (2000). The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system. Psychological Review, 107(2), 261–88.
Fioretti, C. (2025). Narrative in Doctor-Patient Communication. In Volkman, J. (Ed). A Multi-Perspective Approach to Narratives in Health Communication. Bloomsbury Editors (pp. 73-90).
Fioretti, C., & Smorti, A. (2015). How emotional content of memories changes in narrative. Narrative Inquire, 25(1), 37-56.
Fioretti, C., & Smorti, A. (2017). Narrating positive versus negative memories of illness: Does narrating influence the availability and the emotional involvement of memories of illness? European Journal of Cancer Care, 23(4), e12524.
Fioretti, C., Pascuzzi, D., & Smorti, A. (2017). The Role of the Listener on the Emotional Valence of Personal Memories in Emerging Adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 24(4), . DOI: 10.1007/s10804-017-9263-z. ISSN: 10680667.
Freud, S. (1914). Ricordare, ripetere e rielaborare [In Opere di Sigmund Freud, vol. 7 (1912 - 1914), Boringhieri, Torino 1975, pp. 353-361, trad. di Cesare Musatti]
Haden, C., Haine, R., & Fivush, R. (1997). Developing narrative structure in parent-child conversations about the past. Developmental Psychology, 33, 295-307.
McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5, 100-122.
McWilliams, N. (2017). Il Caso Clinico. Raffaello Cortina Editore.
McLeod, J. (1997). Narrative and psychotherapy. London: Sage.
Nelson, K., & Fivush, R. (2004). The emergence of autobiographical memory: a social cultural developmental theory. Psychological Review, 111(2), 486–511.
Ninio, A., & Bruner, J. (1978). The achievement and antecedents of labeling, Journal of Child Language, 5, 1-15.
Pascuzzi, D., Fioretti, C., Smorti, A. (2017). Sharing of emotional memories with a listener: Differences between adolescents and emerging adults. Journal of Youth Studies, 20 (7), pp. 927-944. ISSN: 1469-9680, doi: 10.1080/13676261.2016.1273521.
Pasupathi, M. (2001). The social construction of the personal past and its implications for adult development. Psychological Bulletin, 127(5), 651–72.
Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotion. New York: Guilford Press .
Pennebaker, J.W., Colder, M., and Sharp, L.K. (1990) Accelerating the coping process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 528-537.
Pennebaker J.W., Francis M.E. and Booth R.J. (2001) Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC): A Computerized Text Analysis Program. Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum Publishers.
Pennebaker J.W., Kiecolt-Glaser J. E. and Glaser R. (1988). Disclosure of traumas and immune function: Health implications for psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 239-245.
Pillemer, D. B. (1998). What is remembered about early childhood events? Clinical Psychology Review, 18(8), 895–913.
Sales, J. M., Fivush, R., & Peterson, C. (2003). Parental Reminiscing About Positive and Negative Events. Journal of Cognition and Development, 4(2), 185–209.
Schacter, D., Addis, D., Buckner, R. (2008). Episodic Simulation of Future Events. Annals of the year in Cognitive Neuroscience, 1124, 39-60.
Smorti, A. (2011) Autobiographical memory and autobiographical narrative. Which is the relationship? Narrative inquire, 21(2), 303-310.
Smorti, A., & Fioretti, C. (2016). Why narrating changes memory: a contribution to an integrative model of memory and narrative processes. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 50, 296–319
Tulving, E. & Craik, F. (2000). The Oxford Handbook of Memory. Oxford University Press.
Published
2026-05-01
How to Cite
Fioretti, C. (2026). Beyond the Archive. Critical Hermeneutics, 10(special), 201-211. https://doi.org/10.13125/CH/6967
Section
Varia
Copyright (c) 2026 Chiara Fioretti
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