How Memory Affects Sense of Self: Stories of Traumatic Brain Injury

Authors

Leah Smith, University of North Carolina, Asheville

Abstract

(2010 Undergraduate Prize Winner.) How does memory affect sense of self? For traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors, memory has a large impact on sense of self. Some cannot remember who they were before the injury and have to rely on others’ memories or photographs to reinvent their sense of self. Others can remember who they were before the accident, but feel they are vastly different than their old self. How do TBI survivors negotiate reconstructing identities and sense of self when memories play a disconnecting role? Through this process, storytelling can help survivors recreate a sense of self that is more continuous and also empower them in educating others about their experience and decreasing stigma.

Relational Format

journal article

Accessibility Status

Searchable text

Recommended Citation

Smith, Leah (2010) "How Memory Affects Sense of Self: Stories of Traumatic Brain Injury," Southern Anthropologist: Vol. 35: No. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/southern_anthropologist/vol35/iss2/7