Open research questions in Identity, Memory, and Therapy

What the literature leaves open

• Jorge Luiz da Silva Alves1 Fernanda Borges Trindade (Orientadora) RESUMO Este estudo analisa a ligação entre gerações na formação da saúde humana, considerando dimensões simbólicas, familiares e biológicas. Parte-se do pressuposto de que a subjetividade ultrapassa a vivência individual e se relaciona com experiências, vínculos, padrões de interação, formas de cuidado e legados transmitidos ao longo das gerações. Trata-se de pesquisa bibliográfica, com abordagem qualitativa e caráter exploratório, desenvolvida pela análise de literatura nas áreas da psicologia, neurociência e biologia molecular. A discussão reúne transgeracionalidade, Psicologia Analítica, epigenética, Psiconeuroendocrinoimunologia, genética mitocondrial, estresse, alostase, espiritualidade e autorregulação. A literatura indica que o sofrimento e os padrões adaptativos podem repercutir entre gerações por vias biológicas, relacionais, históricas e sociais, sem autorizar conclusões deterministas. Na abordagem da Análise do Comportamento, a interconectividade transgeracional é examinada nas relações entre organismo, trajetória de vida e ambiente, nas condições concretas de vida, nos repertórios e nas práticas atualizadas no cotidiano. Assim, a saúde humana é compreendida como sistema integrado, no qual dimensões simbólicas, genéticas, epigenéticas e metabólicas se relacionam na constituição do indivíduo. Palavras-chave: transgeracionalidade; análise do comportamento; epigenética; alostase; Psiconeuroendocrinoimunologia. 1Curso de Psicologia, Faculdade Católica de Rondônia (FCR), Porto Velho, RO, Brasil. ABSTRACT This study analyzes the connection between generations in the development of human health, considering symbolic, familial, and biological dimensions. It is based on the assumption that subjectivity extends beyond individual experience and is related to experiences, interpersonal bonds, interaction patterns, forms of care, and legacies transmitted across generations. This is a bibliographic study with a qualitative and exploratory approach, developed through a literature review in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology.

  A interconectividade transgeracional na saúde humana: uma leitura na abordagem da análise do comportamento · 2026 · DOI

• Early-life experiences were sparse and perceptually simple, whereas post-2019 encounters displayed pronounced architectural sophistication and recurring interactional intent involving human and non-human intelligences.

  Structured Patterns in Anomalous Experience: A Longitudinal Developmental Analysis of a UAP Experiencer Dataset · 2026 · DOI

• Consequently, it remains unclear whether these emotional shifts can be directly attributed to the SCM. LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS One limitation of this study stems from the change indicators used. The results of this study cannot be directly compared to previous research, as no studies have specifically examined the relationship be- tween identity styles, motives, and changes in personal valuations.

  Identity Styles and the Valuation System Among Students in Emerging Adulthood · 2026 · DOI

• (Philosophical, Cognitive Theory) 60 Hermans & Kempen (1993), as seen in Hermans (2003). Stets & Burke (2000) Bandura (2001) Deci & Ryan (2002) Strawson (2004) & Dorahy et al (2020), & McAdams (2021) Identity is dynamic, shaped by multiple internal “voices” that interact like an ongoing dialogue. The self adapts based on social, cultural, and personal contexts, supporting the idea that identity is not fixed but constantly evolving.

  The Only Constant is Change: Reconciling Agentic and Communal Tensions from a Dynamic Identity Perspective · 2026 · DOI

• Andreea-Alexandra BULBUC1,2, Laura VISU-PETRA1,3* ABSTRACT. We propose a narrative conceptual framework for understanding identity as a dynamic system sustained by two ongoing negotiations between agentic (self-focused) and communal (other-focused) motives. Traditional models were often grounded in stability, consistency, and moral coherence and tended to underplay the adaptive complexity of modern identity. In a world where individuals continuously shift between social, professional, and digital selves, coherence emerges not from sameness but from the capacity to integrate contradiction. Existing classical and contemporary frameworks either privileged continuity or pathologised inconsistency, failing to recognise how personal fluidity could be a source of growth rather than conflict. Drawing on sociodevelopmental, cognitive, and motivational research, we argue that apparent tensions within self-motivations (e.g., self-interest and care for others) are not indicators of dysfunction but hallmarks of a resilient, flexible identity. Arguments are presented for an integrative model reframing identity coherence as a process of agentic–communal negotiation, in which stability emerged as a property of adaptation across different contexts.

  The Only Constant is Change: Reconciling Agentic and Communal Tensions from a Dynamic Identity Perspective · 2026 · DOI

• While this study has several strengths, including a large, representative sample of Czech adolescents and its comprehensive validation of a newly developed ul- tra-short 9-item version of the ISI (US-ISI-5), several limitations should be ac- knowledged. First, the analysis is based on cross-sectional data; therefore, it is not possible to determine test–retest reliability, which can be used to evaluate the stability of identity processing strategies over time. This is of particular sig- nificance, given that adolescents are undergoing rapid developmental, attitudi- nal, and emotional changes. Second, this is a typical validation study conducted in one country on a specific target group, namely, Czech adolescents, without a control group, which restricts the generalizability of the results. Third, the as- sessment of reliability and validity did not yield the fully desired values. With regard to reliability, only the IS subscale exceeded the minimum recommended value. One potential solution would be to test the model with only two items for the subscale, as is the case with the NS and DAS subscales, where one item consistently demonstrated poor values. While this procedure is methodological- ly feasible, it is not suitable in theoretical or interpretative terms. The individu- al subscales are analysed independently; therefore, each subscale must have at least three variables. In the case of validity, weak but significant relationships were identified, which can be attributed to the large research sample. Moreover, for valid evidence of criterion-related validity, the Commitment Scale and others Article 16 directly focused on measuring identity strategies (e.g., U-MICS) are missing. Fu- ture studies should include these variables and assess the US-ISI-5 on different research samples, ideally from a longitudinal perspective.

  Development and Validation of the Ultra-Short Version of the Identity Style Inventory (US-ISI-5) Among Czech Adolescents · 2026 · DOI

• While both vocational identity and cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CER) have been associated with academic adjustment, their interrelation remains insufficiently explored, particularly from a person-oriented perspective.

  Vocational identity and cognitive emotion regulation among first-year university students: are they related? · 2025 · DOI

• Research has not explored parent–child conversations during SBR regarding different types of emotions, yet studies on other discourse contexts reveal that parents discuss ‘positive’ emotions differently than ‘negative’ emotions.

  Mothers' discourse during shared reading of books relating to ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ emotions in different genres · 2021 · DOI

• There were described the topical prospects for further scientific development of the problem, which were to expand the categorical structure of content analysis, which would allow to find indicators of four schemas that remain unclear, as well as to widen the age range of respondents and to test the hypothesis about the existence of a link between the personal narratives of adults and their maladaptive schemas.

  Narrative Indicators of Adolescents’ Maladaptive Cognitive Schemas · 2019 · DOI

• Findings for exploratory processing were inconclusive and suggest that its role in BII may fluctuate over time and be dependent on several factors, including age, type of memory, and time spent exploring bicultural identity.

  “So Now, I Wonder, What Am I?”: A Narrative Approach to Bicultural Identity Integration · 2018 · DOI

• In particular, I argue that dream consciousness gives us clues about how social influence (and contagion) actually works: partially, incrementally, in a “condensed” way, through a variety of sensory and perceptual modalities, contingent on and delimited by the emotional memories of those involved, but with the potential of exceeding those contingencies and limitations by the ability of all of the participants to imaginatively elaborate upon what is experienced and communicated.

  Dreamscapes of Intimacy and Isolation: Shadows of Contagion and Immunity · 2017 · DOI

• MD is an under-researched mental activity described as persistent vivid fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and/or interferes with important areas of functioning.

  Childhood Antecedents and Maintaining Factors in Maladaptive Daydreaming · 2016 · DOI

• These include the potential role of anticipated rapid self-development through falling in love itself being a self-expansion motivation, which although consistent with the model, has not been fully tested; and the potential role of stories/scripts of love, which although existing in the literature, have been minimally integrated with other lines of work and not at all with the self-expansion model.

  An Inspiration for Expanding the Self-Expansion Model of Love · 2015 · DOI

• Although researchers have used a variety of instruments to measure both academic and personal growth (for recent examples see Hassan, 2008; Higgins, Lauzon, Yew, Brasweth, & Morley, 2009), little is known about how college-student growth compares to adversarial growth because comparisons require measures obtained with the same instrument.

  College-Student Personal-Growth and Attributions of Cause · 2012 · DOI

• In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the ACI-R is a promising instrument and that it should be explored further in order to study the organization of self-experiences and the ability to be emotionally present in interactions with others.

  Consciousness about own and others’ affects: A study of the validity of a revised version of the Affect Consciousness Interview · 2008 · DOI

• Little is known about forces that may either facilitate or deter the identity formation process as well as how to facilitate students' movement through the proposed stages of development (Evans, 1996).

  The Role of Contextual Influences on Self-Perceptions of Identity · 2005

• Whereas the evidence supporting a biological cause for increased depression in women is still inconclusive (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1995), the present Western sociocultural context is seen by many investigators as a viable contributing factor (Helgeson & Fritz, 1998; Hurst & Genest, 1995; Kaplan, 1986).

  Individualism and relatedness themes in the context of depression, gender, and a self-schema model of emotion. · 2002 · DOI

• The results showed that (a) balancing and controlling one's own needs and wishes in relation to others' was a central issue, (b) existential questions mainly concerned the personal future, (c) adult contacts outside the family were scarce and (d) all respondents expressed a need for adult contacts as sources of knowledge and experience.

  Adolescent identity—a qualitative approach: Self‐concept, existential questions and adult contacts · 1999 · DOI

• In addition to providing a clearer conception of the nature of these factors, our results may help to resolve apparently contradictory findings in the PRSC literature.

  Factor Structure of the Private Self-Consciousness Scale · 1996 · DOI

• More systematic analyses can be achieved by examination of differences within the memory responses themselves, which is beyond the scope of this paper. One might construct, out of limited data, a picture of a certain group of centenarians who have a rich reservoir of recollections dated very early in life (5-12 years).

  Some Aspects of Memories and Ambitions in Centenarians · 1967 · DOI

• Anomalous phenomena and associated experiential events have gained increasing scientific attention, yet the developmental organisation of such experiences across an individual’s life has rarely been examined systematically.

  Structured Patterns in Anomalous Experience: A Longitudinal Developmental Analysis of a UAP Experiencer Dataset · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should examine sense of purpose in life stories of a broader group of older adults to further specify the ways in which purpose manifests when sharing with family. 3 Limitations One limitation of this study is that the dataset does not include who the family members were (e.

  A life worth living: passing on stories of sense of purpose to family · 2026 · DOI

• This article, however, argues that friendships can contribute to identity development in a different and largely overlooked way: precisely when they are not understood as spaces of harmony, but as spaces of alienation, challenge, and encounters with otherness.

  Alienation as a path to resonance: friendship and identity development in adolescence · 2026 · DOI

• Developmental research has demonstrated gains in the ability to describe past events in sequence through childhood, yet little is known about how children embed experiences within global temporal structures.

  Developmental Differences in the Temporal Organization of Autobiographical Recall · 2026 · DOI

• Irrational beliefs constitute a significant component of human cognition; however, their impact on the development of psychological difficulties continues to be insufficiently explored, particularly within the context of social and cultural determinants.

  Social-psychological factors іn the formation of irrational attitudes · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Identity, Memory, and Therapy

• Identity and Agency in Emerging Adulthood · Youth & Society · 2005 · 543 citations
• The Structure of the Self‐Concept and Its Relation to Psychological Adjustment · Journal of Personality · 2003 · 306 citations
• Principles of Situation Research: Towards a Better Understanding of Psychological Situations · European Journal of Personality · 2015 · 271 citations
• Constructing Stories of Self-Growth: How Individual Differences in Patterns of Autobiographical Reasoning Relate to Well-Being in Midlife · Journal of Personality · 2010 · 204 citations
• Reminiscence as autobiographical memory: a catalyst for reminiscence theory development · Ageing and Society · 1998 · 165 citations
• Understanding identity integration: Theoretical, methodological, and applied issues · Journal of Adolescence · 2015 · 154 citations
• Getting a Life Takes Time: The Development of the Life Story in Adolescence, Its Precursors and Consequences · Human Development · 2015 · 121 citations
• Self-expansion motivation and inclusion of others in self: An updated review · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · 2022 · 119 citations
• Psychological measurement and the replication crisis: Four sacred cows. · Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne · 2020 · 117 citations
• The effectiveness of reminiscence-based intervention on improving psychological well-being in cognitively intact older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis · International Journal of Nursing Studies · 2020 · 110 citations

Most recent work

• Emotional closure in involuntary autobiographical memories: evidence from a laboratory paradigm · Memory · 2026
• A Qualitative Study of Parental Perspectives on Their Offspring’s Emerging Adulthood and Intergenerational Solidarity · Journal of Adult Development · 2026
• ACADEMIC IDENTITY STATUSES IN RELATION TO ACADEMIC SELF-HANDICAPPING AMONG UNDERGRADUATES: GROUP DIFFERENCES AND RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
• Identity Styles and Social Adaptation in Emerging Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Coping Styles and the Moderating Role of Tolerance for Uncertainty · The Journal of Genetic Psychology · 2026
• Cueing with key moments to facilitate recall of narratives · JoCN Forum · 2026
• Life Narratives and the Ten Aspects of the Big Five Across Open-ended and Targeted Prompts · 2026
• The concurrent relationship of specific and detailed turning points and young adults’ depressive symptoms: the moderating role of recollective experience · Memory · 2026
• SOCIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AMONG EMERGING ADULTS IN CULTURALLY DIVERSE ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SETTINGS · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
• Does sensitivity to novelty relate to memory organization of narrative events? · JoCN Forum · 2026
• The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): Its Origins and Applications Across Domains, Contexts, and Times · Identity · 2026

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