Poster #214 - Redemption and Contamination Themes are Linked with Greater Elaboration in College Students’ Self-Defining Memories

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Arnett (2000) proposed emerging adulthood as an important period for identity exploration. College students, who tend to be in the developmental period of emerging adulthood, have opportunities to meet new people, expand their horizons, and further explore career options, which all contribute to identity exploration. Self-defining memories are highly vivid memories and of higher personal importance than everyday autobiographical memories (Kuyeken & Howell, 2006). These memories have ties to identity, establishing connections between past events and current roles and values. The valence of self-defining memories is often affectively mixed rather than extremely negative or positive, which may be important for how they shape identity. McAdams’ redemption and contamination theory fits well with what is observed in these memories. Redemption sequences describe positive outcomes or lessons gained from a negative life event, whereas contamination sequences describe negative outcomes or lessons gained from a positive life event (McAdams, 2006). Redemption is related to psychological well-being and life satisfaction in college students (McAdams, 2006). Interpretive elaboration, describing rich detail of internal experiences during events, gives important insights to identity development. Previous work has shown that adolescents’ interpretive elaboration of turning point stories predicts identity maturity into early adulthood (McLean & Pratt, 2006).
Participants were 269 university students (79.0% women, M age=19.53 years, SD=1.28 years, range = 18-24 years). Participants completed an online survey that included two self-defining memories. Memories were coded for the extent individuals displayed factual (detail-focused) and interpretive (experience-focused) elaboration by three coders (K=0.75 and K=0.74, respectively). Factual and interpretive elaboration scores were averaged across both memories. Each memory was coded for valence (overall positive; overall negative; contamination; redemption) by two coders (K= 0.61). Contamination (and redemption) were scored as present if at least one memory received that valence code. Finally, in order to account for potential topic differences in elaboration, a topical coding scheme was developed and two coders categorized the primary topic of each memory (i.e., achievement, relationships, trauma, etc.; Ks=0.61-1.0).
ANCOVAs were conducted to determine whether factual and interpretive elaboration were related to presence of contamination and redemption valence after controlling for sex and primary topics of memories. Participants who showed redemptive valence were higher in interpretive elaboration (Figure 1). Participants who showed contaminated valence were higher in factual elaboration (Figure 2).
Interpretive elaboration was related to redemption sequences, whereas factual elaboration was related to contamination. This suggests interesting differences in redemption and contamination processes. For redemptive sequences, the focus is on the individual’s internal experiences, and meaning gained from a negative event. By focusing on meaning-making rather than the event itself, these sequences may distance oneself from negative details and promote understanding of the event within broader context. For contamination sequences, attention to details of events may promote vividness of the event memory as an episode in its own right. This may suggest a sense that “what happens, happens” with little chance to change it after the fact. Further research exploring valence of self-defining memories in relation to meaning-making may illuminate identity development processes of emerging adults.

Authors

• Karen Elizabeth Talley, Virginia Tech
  Presenting Author

• Jordan Booker, University of Missouri
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erika Hernandez, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Julie Dunsmore, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author