Consistency

A person needs to be in harmony with himself or herself and the surrounding world. Psychoanalysts assert that it is the main condition of the wellness of a person. Inner harmony can be achieved only when consistency within the self is present. Human memory is an instrument of creating consistency within the self. Why and what do we remember? A memoir writer, Patricia Hampl, and a psychologist, Susan Engel, have developed their own theories of memory.

In her essay, “Then and Now: Creating a Self through the Past”, Engel presents a psychological viewpoint of creating oneself through memory. She argues that the characteristics of the present self are determined by the past experiences and memories one possesses. She suggests that a person cannot exist without having memories; moreover, these memories need to be consistent and coherent for the person to feel secure in society. Engel also expresses the idea that the past and the present are connected through memories.

Engel presents a paradox between the self for the self, which strives to achieve inner consistency, and the self for others, which brings up different memories in different situations to create a different persona. Hampl bases her theory of memory in the piece “Memory and Imagination” on her first piano lesson. In her essay, she explores why human beings use their imagination while remembering the past. She also asks herself why people write memoirs.

According to Hampl, a person is an interaction of two selves. The reflective self looks back at the narrative self to make sure that no openly false memories are brought up. Hampl’s essay provides some deep insight on Engel’s theory of memory. Some of Engel’s ideas about why memory is created fully apply to Hampl’s first piano lesson. Engel claims that a person strives to achieve harmony and consistency in the present through reconstructing past memories.