Autobiographical Memory, Self-regulation and Well-Being

The aim of this chapter is to highlight how autobiographical memory (AM) is related to well-being being selectively used for adaptive self-regulation and serving different goals in different life phases. A structural view of AM is presented in a first section with a description of theories related to the self-regulation aspects of AM. These aspects are illustrated in a second section by phenomena related to AM: The reminiscence bump, the negativity/positivity effects, and the self-enhancement function linked to positive memories. The third and last section deals with AM-related therapeutic interventions that serve to improve or maintain personal meaning and SWB.