Autobiographical memory, a form of episodic memory, encompasses a person's recollections of his or her life experiences. These personal memories are complex and seem to contain unending strings of stories and snapshots.

Nevertheless, researchers have found that autobiographical memories can be categorized. For example, Martin Conway and David Rubin (1993) sketch three levels of autobiographical memory (see figure 8.17).

1. Life time periods. This is the most abstract level of autobiographical memory, covering segments of time measured in years or even decades. For example, you might remember something about your life in high school.
2. General events. These are extended composite episodes that are measured in days, weeks, or months. An example might be a memory of a trip you took with your friends after you graduated from high school.
3. Event-specific knowledge. The most concrete level in the hierarchy is composed of individual episodes that are measured in seconds, minutes, or hours. For example, from your post-graduation trip, you might remember the exhilaration of your first bungee-jump.

When people tell their life stories, all three levels of information are usually present and intertwined.

Most autobiographical memories include some reality and some myth. Dan McAdams (1993) argues that autobiographical memories are in fact less about facts and more about meanings. They provide a reconstructed, embellished telling of the past that connects the past to the present. According to McAdams, autobiographical memories form the core of our personal identity.