Reminiscence Functions Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Autobiographical Memory research spans several fields in psychology, including clinical, personality, cognitive, social, and developmental psychology. It has developed varied research paradigms such as empirical, ecological, cross-cultural, and applied studies, addressing numerous themes like emotional regulation, individual differences, knowledge structure, cue extraction, early emergence, retrieval mechanisms, time markers, time organization, cross-cultural differences, and functional applications. In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on the fundamental question of “why do people reminisce about the past,” leading to a functional approach to autobiographical memory research. Overall, functional studies of autobiographical memory mainly arise from three fields: clinical, personality, and cognition.

Authors and Contact Email

Information not available

Purpose

The purpose of the reminiscence function scale is to explore the various functions of reminiscing, particularly focusing on personal well-being, social connections, and identity.

Test Year

The scale was developed by Webster in 1993 and further refined in 2003.

Administration Method and Scoring

The reminiscence function scale comprises 43 items scored on a 6-point Likert scale. After testing a large sample, 8 functional factors were extracted, accounting for 59.8% of the total variance.

Reliability and Validity

Information not available

Factors and Subscales

The eight factors include:
(1) 烦倦排解 (Boredom Reduction)
(2) 死亡准备 (Death Preparation)
(3) 同一性 (Identity)
(4) 问题解决 (Problem Solving)
(5) 交流对话 (Conversation)
(6) 亲密维持 (Intimacy Maintenance)
(7) 苦难重历 (Bitterness Revival)
(8) 教导告知 (Teach/Inform)

Keywords

Autobiographical Memory, Reminiscence, Functional Approach, Psychological Well-being, Identity

Items in Chinese

1. 让家庭中年轻的成员了解我年轻时期不同阶段的生活。
2. 帮我在去世前处理好重要事宜。
3. 在难以打发时间的情况下，让我觉得有事可做。
4. 帮我计划未来。
5. 通过回忆使我保持对老朋友的清晰记忆。
6. 拉近我跟新结交的朋友和熟人的距离。
7. 促进友谊、增强归属感。
8. 帮我比较自身一陈不变和己经改变的行为方式，以便更好地了解自己。
9. 使我在生命的最后阶段体验人生的完整或个人的成就。
10. 让我看清我的过去与我的整个生命旅程的联系。
11. 帮我打发空闲和不安的时光。
12. 克服当前的一些困难。
13. 保持对痛苦的过去的记忆。
14. 保持对已逝家人和朋友的忠诚。
15. 再次思考失去的机会。
16. 减轻厌倦情绪。
17. 记住他人曾经对我的不公平待遇。
18. 提醒我自己有处理当前问题的能力。
19. 减轻沮丧感。
20. 与他人分享我的知识。
21. 没有别的办法让我保持思维活跃(就只好怀旧)。
22. 创建一个新老朋友之间共享的联系。
23. 对下一代进行文化价值的教育。
24. 使我获得自我认识的意识。
25. 怀念已经去世的人。
26. 帮我通过回忆过去而认识现在的自己。
27. 减少代沟。
28. 促使人们与他人交往交谈。
29. 使我对白己的死亡有所准备。
30. 通过回忆来保留一份家庭历史遗产。
31. 从不同的角度看待当前的问题。
32. 使我更加了解自己。
33. 减少我对死亡的恐惧。
34. 营造一个轻松的谈话气氛。
35. 帮我看清了自己有意义的一生，从而平静接受死亡。
36. 通过这种方式让我发现和自我成长。
37. 找点事干。
38. 帮我认识到我不可能永生、接受人终有一死的概念。
39. 让我发现自己解决当前问题的能力。
40. 再次勾起我痛苦和愤怒的回忆。
41. 帮我回忆那些曾经进入过我的生活但已不再是我生活一部分的人们。
42. 避免将来犯同样的错误。
43. 让我保持对过去伤痛的记忆。

Items in English

1. Let younger family members understand my different stages of life when I was young.
2. Help me handle important matters before I pass away.
3. Make me feel like I have something to do when I have difficulty passing the time.
4. Help me plan for the future.
5. Keep my memories of old friends clear through reminiscing.
6. Bring me closer to newly formed friendships and acquaintances.
7. Promote friendship and enhance a sense of belonging.
8. Help me compare my unchanged behaviors with those that have changed to better understand myself.
9. Experience a sense of completeness or personal achievement in the last stages of my life.
10. Let me see the connection between my past and my entire life journey.
11. Help me pass idle and anxious time.
12. Overcome some current difficulties.
13. Keep memories of painful past experiences.
14. Maintain loyalty to deceased family and friends.
15. Reflect again on lost opportunities.
16. Reduce feelings of boredom.
17. Remember others’ unfair treatment of me in the past.
18. Remind myself of my ability to handle current problems.
19. Alleviate feelings of depression.
20. Share my knowledge with others.
21. I have no other way to keep my mind active (so I reminisce).
22. Create a connection shared between new and old friends.
23. Educate the next generation on cultural values.
24. Achieve self-awareness.
25. Long for those who have passed away.
26. Help me recognize the current self through recalling the past.
27. Reduce generational gaps.
28. Encourage people to interact and converse.
29. Prepare myself for my own death.
30. Preserve a family heritage through recollection.
31. View current issues from different perspectives.
32. Enhance my self-understanding.
33. Reduce my fear of death.
34. Create a relaxed conversational atmosphere.
35. Help me see my meaningful life clearly, so I can calmly accept death.
36. Allow me to discover and grow through reminiscing.
37. Find something to do.
38. Help me recognize the inevitability of death and accept that people cannot live forever.
39. Discover my ability to solve current problems.
40. Reignite painful and angry memories.
41. Help me remember those who once entered my life but are no longer part of it.
42. Prevent making the same mistakes in the future.
43. Keep memories of past pains alive.

References

袁群. 老年人回忆功能量表的修订及其应用研究[D].中南大学,2009.
李明,杜建政.旧事为何重提?——忆旧、叙事与自传记忆的功能研究及其整合[J].心理科学进展,2015,23(10):1732-1745.
https://www.apa.org/depression-guideline/reminiscence-functions-scale.pdf