FEATURES OF SAVING MEMORIES ABOUT TRAUMATIC EVENTS IN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORY

Abstract

The article presents the results of the theoretical and empirical analysis of the characteristics of experienced memories of traumatic events in the personality’s autobiographical memory. The author has generalized the approaches of Ukrainian and foreign psychologists to the nature and differences of traumatic memory organization; shown the main factors that contribute to and impede the process of traumatic memories’ integration. The suggested typology of traumatic events is defined on the base of written narratives features depending on the degree of post-traumatic stress disorder. The established indicators of psychological autobiography allowed identifying six groups of persons. Each group is described in terms of the most commonly occurred types of experienced traumatic events, as well as selected features of auto-narratives. The author marked the groups which need psycholinguistic reorganization of theory traumatic memory. It is argued that the traumatic event reminiscence is triggered by the deep reflection over the event. In some cases the traumatic event has no negative effects and is viewed as normal, but in most cases the event causes stress, mental disorders, or the worldview stability deviations.  

Keywords: autobiographical memory, traumatic event, traumatic memories, post-traumatic stress disorder, types of traumatic events.