ReviewTransition Theory: A Minimalist Perspective on the Organization of Autobiographical Memory

Transition Theory (T2) assumes that the content and organization of autobiographical memory mirror the structure of experience and reflect the operation of basic associative processes. Thus, this approach rests on an environmental analysis that emphasizes repetition, co-occurrence, change, and distinctiveness. In this article, I first provide an overview of a research project, the Living-in-History project, that has provided the impetus for this theory. Next, I identify several basic autobiographical constructs - event components, event representations, lifetime periods, transitions - and define them within the T2 framework. I conclude by arguing that: (a) the formation of lifetime period is driven by association and by repeated exposure to frequently encountered, co-occurring event components; (b) period boundaries are transitions that bring about large-scale synchronized changes to the set of regularly encountered event components; and (c) these claims hold for individual-level transitions (e.g., relocation) and collective ones (e.g., war).