CONTINUITY IN THE LIFE STORY - SELF-DEFINING MEMORIES, AFFECT, AND APPROACH AVOIDANCE PERSONAL STRIVINGS

To study affective responses to memories and their relationship to per sonal strivings, 117 participants (65 males, 52 females) wrote self-de fining memories and indicated their affective responses to the memorie s. A week later they generated personal strivings, rated them along 10 dimensions, and indicated the relevance of their memories to the stri vings. Participants who recalled more memories relevant to the attainm ent of their strivings felt more positively about their memories. Addi tionally, participants who listed greater percentages of avoidance str ivings also recalled more memories related to the nonattainment of the ir strivings. Participants with higher percentages of avoidance strivi ngs also recalled less positive memories. In an extension of Emmons's (1986) research, participants' feelings about personal strivings were linked to their affective responses to memories generated a week earli er. These results support a goal-based theory of affect and a role for motivation in memory.