You are invited to this week’s special talk organized by the Department of Psychology, featuring Prof. Tuğba Uzer Yıldız.
Everyone is welcome to attend!
Title: Gaining Insight into Well-Being Through the Lens of Autobiographical Memories
Speaker: Prof. Tuğba Uzer Yıldız, TED University Department of Psychology, Ankara, Turkey
Date: 06.03.2025, Thursday
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Room: A130
Autobiographical memory plays a crucial role in shaping our psychological well-being. In this presentation, I will examine how different memory processes—including specificity, integration, and narrative functions— are linked to mental health outcomes. I will first explore how retrieval processes, including intrusive and poorly integrated memories, are significant predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comparing landmark and integration views in predicting PTSD severity. Using empirical evidence, I will illustrate how different memory integration and centrality measures contribute to our understanding of trauma. Next, I will address the role of over-general memory in contributing to psychopathology, focusing on its influence in forming maladaptive cognitive schemas and reducing goal specificity in depression. Further, I will explore the functions of autobiographical memory, demonstrating how the social, self, and directive functions influence psychological resilience, growth, and symptomatology. By analysing how memory narratives help individuals cope with adversity, this talk will highlight the dual nature of memory’s impact on mental health: its ability to foster healing and its potential to perpetuate distress. Finally, I will discuss ongoing research that seeks to deepen our understanding of how memory accessibility affects well-being at both the personal and collective levels, outlining future directions for intervention strategies.
Bio
Dr. Tuğba Uzer Yıldız is a Full Professor of Psychology at TED University, specializing in the field of autobiographical memory and well-being. She earned her MA in Developmental Psychology from Koç University, and PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Alberta. She made significant contributions to our understanding of memory processes, particularly in relation to mental health outcomes. Her research explores how memory processes, including retrieval strategies and integration, are linked to psychopathology and well-being. She has published extensively in high-impact journals, investigating topics such as the impact of traumatic memories, the formation of cognitive schemas, and the functions of memory narratives in personal and collective contexts. Dr. Uzer Yıldız has secured numerous prestigious grants, including TÜBİTAK and institutional research funding, and her work has been recognized with awards like the Psychonomics Fellow Membership. She actively leads the Real-World Cognition Lab, where her work continues to advance scientific understanding and connect research with therapeutic practice. Her commitment to advancing the field is evident in her role as a section editor for Stress & Health and her active participation in international psychology societies.
We hope to see you there!
Department of Psychology