Abstract:
Retirement is a liminal period that has been shown to have positive or negative effects on subjective well-being. In this study, a cultural model of retirement was identified among the general population in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Participant self-narratives and autobiographical memories were compared to the cultural model, resulting in a cultural consonance in narrative (CCIN) score. The CCIN locates the participant within cultural space, and determines how the use of cultural models within memory construction and self-narrative effect an individual’s subjective well-being. This study demonstrates that memory formation is culturally constructed and highly influenced by cultural consonance. I suggest that the way in which one utilizes the cultural model in day to day life has an impact on liminality and the construction of Self.
