Pişmanlık ve memnuniyet uyandıran olaylara dair karşılaştırmalı otobiyografik bellek süreçleri

The role of positive and negative emotions on autobiographical memory processes has been widely investigated. However, literature on memories of events which are later regretted is very limited. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate autobiographical memory characteristics for regret-evoking events in comparison with contentment-evoking events which have not been studied before. Data were collected from 71 participants via interview and online survey to investigate the effects of the shared characteristics of regret and contentment events - feeling of responsibility over a life decision - on memory processes by comparing those events with other negative and positive memories, respectively. The role of the regret and contentment-evoking memories being action or inaction events, or open or closed events were addressed in terms of memory phenomenology and temporal distribution of memories. The effect of perfectionism and rumination were also examined in relation to memory characteristics of those events. Some of the general results revealed significant difference of memory age between regret-evoking and negative, and contentment-evoking and positive events, which supported the distinction between cognitively driven emotions – regret and contentment - and other emotions. Contentment memories were found to be more accessible compared to regret memories. However, there were no major effects of individual differences in perfectionism and rumination levels on the relationship between emotions in question and autobiographical remembering. Temporal distribution of action and inaction regrets did not support previous findings that suggested that memories of inaction events were older in age compared to memories of action event. A series of comparisons on the effect of regret and contentment events on memory phenomenology were also discussed.