The Self Remembered, Imagined, and Rewritten: Autobiographical Processing and Psychopathology

Autobiographical thinking, the mental simulation of personal experience, encompasses reflections on the past, perceptions of the present, imaginings of the future, and counterfactual possibilities of what might have been. It is a core feature of the human condition, shaping how we make sense of ourselves and the world, and ultimately influencing mental health and wellbeing. This article provides an overview of the key abnormalities in autobiographical thinking observed in psychopathology, and introduces the collection of articles in this special issue on autobiographical processing and psychopathology. Together, these papers illustrate the diverse ways autobiographical processing can be examined to advance understanding of mental disorders, including how mental representations change, how they interact with emotional processing and global schemas, and how they can be leveraged therapeutically to promote psychological health. Collectively, the special issue highlights autobiographical thinking as a central process in mental health.