Cross-cultural differences in autobiographical memory (AM) are associated with cultural variations. In models of the self and parental reminiscing style, but not many studies have analysed the relationship between AM and specific cultural practices such as formal schooling. Theoreticians like [Greenfield, P. M. (2009). Linking social change and developmental change: Shifting. pathways of human development. Developmental Psychology, 45, 401–418. doi:10.1037/a0014726; Kağitçibaşi, C. (2005). Autonomy and relatedness in cultural context. Implications for self and family. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36, 403–422. doi:10.1177/0022022105275959] and [Keller, H. (2007). Children development across cultures. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates] have considered formal schooling as an engine towards the model of independence; however, the empirical evidence in this regard is inconclusive: while some studies found evidence of a relation between formal schooling and characteristics of AM, others did not. To solve this inconsistency, the present study compared orally narrated childhood memories of Mexican adults with three different levels of education (from rudimentary literacy to university). Results support a relationship between formal schooling and AM in the predicted direction: More educated participants reported longer, more specific and more self-oriented memories than those with less schooling experience did. Some gender differences were also observed, with males generally reporting more individually and less socially oriented memories than females, except for university level participants. We conclude that these results support Greenfield’s theory about formal schooling as a sociocultural factor that promotes the cultural pathway to independence, as well as complexity and context-boundedness of gender differences in AM.

This article develops a theoretical approach to the study of identity narratives from the concept of the bordering process. The first section describes the theoretical concepts that sustain the proposal, in particular, the concept of border as a mediating artifact, the theoretical concept of the bordering process as a social practice, and finally, identity narratives and the dialogical perspective of the self. The second section analyzes the proposals and limitations of some studies on identity narratives in international borderlands. In the same section, we develop our theoretical proposal for studying border identity narratives, which attempts to overcome some limitations of previous studies and respond to the debate on the role of others in the construction of the self. We conclude that the inclusion of the border as a semiotic artifact and the bordering process in the construction of the self provide a new perspective of identity narratives as border narratives for the study of border experiences throughout human development.

El objetivo fundamental de este trabajo es explorar las distintas teorías que en la actualidad son denominadas como Psicología Cultural, así como analizar las diferencias y similitudes entre ellas. Las aproximaciones culturales citadas han sido incluidas dentro de dos grandes bloques que se diferencian por sus orígenes y focos de interés. En el primero incluimos los enfoques histórico-culturales, herederos de la Psicología Transcultural. Dentro de este primer grupo hemos hecho referencia, en primer lugar y como punto de partida, a las ideas de Vygotski y Leontiev que han dejado huella en la Psicología Cultural. En este bloque nos hemos detenido especialmente en el enfoque de M. Cole. En un segundo bloque, heredero de la tradición proveniente de la revolución romántica contra la Ilustración y de la Psicología de los pueblos, se ha incluido los enfoques simbólicos de J. Bruner y R. A. Shweder y la teoría de la Acción Simbólica de los psicólogos alemanes E. E. Boesch y L. H. Eckensberger

The article is based on a conception of identity and self as a situated narrative construction in which memory plays a central role. To construct self-narratives, individuals internalise cultural master narratives in specific socio-cultural settings. For that reason, the analysis of self-identity needs to go beyond the individual to integrate interpersonal and socio-cultural levels, as well. Starting from this theoretical perspective, two studies of identity reconstruction of women facing situations of inequality and violence (lesbian women and women after gender-based violence) in Spain were examined. These two groups were confronted with gendered master narratives that place women in a subordinate situation. The two studies applied a similar methodology, based on the use of Bruner’s self-indicators. The analysis of the cases was focused on three issues: the dynamics of master versus alternative narratives in identity (re)construction and their relation to social reproduction and change, the need to consider the three levels of analysis (socio-cultural, interpersonal and individual) and the role of voice and silence in these processes. Finally, the involvement or memory in identity reconstruction was considered.