Book contents
- Autobiographical Memory and the Life Story
- Reviews
- Autobiographical Memory and the Life Story
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Part I How Research on Autobiographical Memory Contrasts with and Integrates the Life Story Approach
- Part II How the Environment of Autobiographical Memory Shapes the Life Story
- Part III How Deviating Autobiographical Memories Shape the Life Story
- Chapter 11 Could Life Care Contexts Impact the Adolescent’s Life Narrative Coherence?
- Chapter 12 Narrative Coherence and Incoherence
- Chapter 13 Biographies in the Name of God
- Chapter 14 Cultural Life Scripts and Life Story Events of Cis-Heterosexual and LGBQ Individuals
- Chapter 15 Narratives, Perspective-Taking, and Emotion Regulation
- Chapter 16 Life Narratives and Psychopathology
- Chapter 17 Life Stories Are Culturally Mediated and Socially Constructed
- Index
- References
Chapter 13 - Biographies in the Name of God
Exploring Important Autobiographical Memories of Members of Christian Orders
from Part III - How Deviating Autobiographical Memories Shape the Life Story
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2025
By
Book contents
- Autobiographical Memory and the Life Story
- Reviews
- Autobiographical Memory and the Life Story
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Introduction
- Part I How Research on Autobiographical Memory Contrasts with and Integrates the Life Story Approach
- Part II How the Environment of Autobiographical Memory Shapes the Life Story
- Part III How Deviating Autobiographical Memories Shape the Life Story
- Chapter 11 Could Life Care Contexts Impact the Adolescent’s Life Narrative Coherence?
- Chapter 12 Narrative Coherence and Incoherence
- Chapter 13 Biographies in the Name of God
- Chapter 14 Cultural Life Scripts and Life Story Events of Cis-Heterosexual and LGBQ Individuals
- Chapter 15 Narratives, Perspective-Taking, and Emotion Regulation
- Chapter 16 Life Narratives and Psychopathology
- Chapter 17 Life Stories Are Culturally Mediated and Socially Constructed
- Index
- References
Summary
Culture offers a unique set of values and traditions that profoundly impact how individuals narrate their life stories. When asked to recall important autobiographical memories, individuals can draw on internalized cultural norms and expectations to define what is appropriate for inclusion in their life stories. But how is the life story told when people choose a path that prevents them from experiencing culturally typical life events such as getting married and having children? This chapter explores the life stories of 48 religious sisters in comparison with the life stories of 48 women from the general population. Like many life stories, important memories of religious sisters center on important themes such as family life (i.e., parents and siblings), education, and work-related events. They rate their memories similarly in terms of emotional valence and subjective control. Moreover, both groups show a typical reminiscence bump in their memory distribution. Despite these remarkable overlaps, two issues are discussed as possibly specific to religious life stories: the predominance of early (negative) life experiences and the (redeeming) decision to join the consecrated life.
Information
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- Information
- Autobiographical Memory and the Life StoryNew Perspectives on Narrative Identity, pp. 278 - 304Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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