Flashbulb memories - memories of extraordinary socio-political events

Abstract

Extremely vivid, precise, detailed and long-term memories that arise after an unexpected, important and emotionally powerful events are known as flash bulb memory. The presented work has been dealt with the memory of two extraordinary socio-political events in our country, the death of former president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito and assassination of former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. The sample consisted of 123 respondents of both sexes, over forty years of age, from five cities in Serbia. Data were collected through semi standardized interviews, that was based on previously collected theoretical knowledge of flash bulb memories and that is designed for this research. Qualitative analysis of respondents’ self-assessment of memory and an assessment by two independent evaluators confirm that those memories can be considered as flash bulb memories. The very high confidence of respondents in richness and 'liveliness' of these memories, as well as their durability has been confirmed. The results indicate some differences in self-assessment of memory depending on the sex of respondents and attitude toward two political figures, but not on age neither place of residence.