Individual Memory Vs Collective Memory

Collective memory is not the opposite of individual memory, but what comes to be when individuals construct their memories in a shared setting, “[w]e can understand each memory as it occurs in individual thought only if we locate each within the thought of the corresponding group’’ (Halbwachs and Coser, 1992). An individual will always reflect their own memory in those of others, creating a common memory shared and not confined to the individual. This can be as much of an issue as it can be a solution, as authors might plug the holes in their memory, but risk representing a memory incorrectly. Instances of collective memories going wrong are usually found in accidents where an involved party will have their memory affected by newspapers or other people’s statement, thinking that that version makes sense and

Memory, individual as well as collective, has to constantly be viewed from the recollecting party’s perspective. Most people find that they do not remember much about their early childhood and instead remember not their actual childhood but other’s recollection of it. The involved parties almost seem to find some sort of agreement of what happened and brands that as the truth that should be remembered. Conway remembers as far back as prior to her fifth birthday and in great detail, ” [i]n the year of my fifth birthday, the totally unexpected happened. It rained five inches one night […] wild flowers exploded into bloom. Each breeze would waft their pollen round the house, making it seem as though we lived in an enormous garden” (Conway, 2011, 28). The pages of Conway’s early childhood goes on and on, and it seems highly unlikely that she has not based at least parts of it on others recollection. This is not immediately a problem, but becomes an issue if it is the case with too much of the book. However, there exist no way of determining exactly how much she knows for a fact happened and how