Autobiographical Meaning Making in Shared and Silenced Memories

ABSTRACT Limited research has examined how social support during disclosure, as opposed to non‐disclosure, affects autobiographical meaning making. Therefore, this study assessed, over an eight‐month period, disclosed and undisclosed events of 180 emerging adults ( M age = 20.47, SD age = 3.35, 68.90% female) from two culturally distinct contexts, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Characteristics of memories, of disclosure and nondisclosure, several ways of meaning making, and of participants' social and cultural environments were examined. Altogether, disclosed events exhibited greater meaning making when listeners and relationships were supportive and narrators were more collectively oriented. Undisclosed events, not devoid of meaning, retained more negative self‐event connections over time, and their nondisclosure often seemed socially motivated. Undisclosed events were mostly silenced to avoid shame or burdening others, especially among collectively oriented individuals. This study supports the notion that meaning making is more a social than an individual process, even when made in silence.