Early Memories: Theoretical Aspects and Application

Early memories from an out-patient psychiatric population are analyzed according to a specifically devised scoring system. The units of analysis are referred to as modes and are defined as the individual's approach to emotional areas such as “givingness,” “mastery,” and “mutuality”. An inter-judge agreement of about 74% resulted from scoring the early memories by three judges. On the basis of the various combinations of modes, three types of early memories are constructed and compared with certain aspects of psychological reports. The types seem to distinguish between relatively adequate and inadequate level of ego integration.