Early memories and their possibilities as a projective diagnostic tool

Since being discovered at the end of the nineteenth century, the early memories method has gone through an interesting process of development and is still used up to this day. Evidence has been found of its significant potential as a verbal projective psychodiagnostic method; nevertheless, it has most frequently been studied and pursued as part of dynamically-oriented psychotherapy. The assumption underlying the method is that although consciously accepted and expressed, early memories represent hidden, unconscious aspects of a personality and functions which lie outside the individual's consciousness. The memories usually include omissions and distortions. The fact of omitting or distorting has a similar significance as in dreams. Therefore, it is not essential whether a memory exactly reflects reality or not. The significance of a memory lies in the fact that it was recalled, and in this sense recollection is a process of construction rather than reproduction. In order to apply the early memories method in practice a series of stimulus questions have been developed (for use in the context of in-depth interview), with different types of scoring systems for the sorting, categorization and assessment of the material obtained.