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Published on: February 16, 2011
Autobiography as a tool for self-construction: a study of patients with mental disorders
Andrea Smorti1, Francesco Risaliti, Bianca Pananti
1Department of Psychology, University of Florence, Via S. Nicolò, 93, Firenze, 50125, Italy. smortian@psico.unifi.it
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to explore how the autobiographical process can lead to a transformation in the quality of psychiatric patients' self-narrative. Fifteen participants, with ages ranging from 25 to 40 years and affected by axis I psychiatric disorders (DSM IV), were selected to participate. A 10-question interview referring to 10 autobiographical cruxes was used to collect autobiographical data; the interview was readministered 2 weeks later. A coding system (the N.O.I.S.) was used to analyze each participant's 2 autobiographical productions. Results from the second interviews showed significant and positive transformations in the quality of patients' autobiographical representation.
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