Bruns, Keano (2023) The Within-Person Effects of Shifting from a Field to Observer Vantage Point on the Content of Aversive Memories and their Characteristics. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
PTSD seems to be mainly a disorder of memory, and thus aspects of memory and memory processes can give insight into the disorder. One of these aspects is the vantage point, or the perspective that is taken when recalling personal memories. This is done from either the field (first person) or the observer (third person) perspective. It was previously found that adopting an observer perspective can lead to differences in the perception of aversive personal memories, for example decreased perceived emotionality. The current study aimed to expand such findings to a within-person context in order to investigate the observer perspective as a potential avoidance mechanism. Specifically, it was hypothesized that emotionality, vividness, narrative coherence, and affective reactions would decrease when the perspective is switched to an observer perspective, while emotional distance would increase. Additionally, the type of situation in the memory was examined as a possible moderator to these effects. To do so, 70 undergraduate psychology students were asked to either recall an aversive personal memory two times from a field perspective, or switch to an observer perspective the second time. It was found that emotionality, vividness, and affective reactions decreased when the memory was recalled in the observer perspective the second time. Narrative coherence and emotional distance did not differ statistically significantly. Regarding the situation type in the memory, no definitive conclusion could be made. The findings, combined with previous research, imply that adopting the observer perspective might function as an avoidance mechanism for negative emotions. Keywords: PTSD, Vantage Point, Avoidance Mechanism, Moderation, Situation Type
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Wessel, J.P. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Jul 2023 08:43 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Jul 2023 08:43 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2344 |
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