Exploring the ecological foundations of memory in psychotherapy: Interpersonal affordance, perception, and recollection in real time

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that memory narratives are fallible cognitive and social constructions. Yet, the literature lacks specific frameworks for guiding clinicians' inquiry into such narratives. We propose one such framework that focuses on interpersonal memories. The model, which is based on Gibson's Theory of Perception as applied to the interpersonal domain, seeks a detailed database from which higher level clinical inferences can be derived. Case material is used to illustrate its application. The model is discussed in relation to recent research and controversy about psychotherapeutic memory, and a stance clinicians might take toward memory phenomena.