Autobiographical memory is the psychological history of the self. It consists of memories of personal experiences—episodic memories—and knowledge of the self or autobiographical knowledge: for example, schools we attended, people we had relationships with, places we have lived, places we have worked, and so on (Conway, 2001; Conway and Pleydell-Pearce, 2000; and McAdams, 2001). It is critical for personal identity, forming the basis of the self and binding self-conceptions to reality. Psychiatric illnesses or brain damage can disrupt the connections that bind self to reality through memory, leading to a loss of personal history and the attendant delusions, confabulations, and false beliefs.

The Nature of Autobiographical Memory and Its Relation to Self

Autobiographical knowledge encompasses far more than memory: It includes statements, propositions, declarations, and beliefs about the self, often accompanied by generic and/or specific (mainly visual) images of details of prior experience. Autobiographical knowledge is...