ABSTRACT
People.often.think.to.the.past.or. to.the.future.when.considering.issues.pertinent. to.their.current. identity..It.is.difficult,.if.not.impossible,.to.answer.the.question.“Who.am.I?”.without.looking.back. over.a.lifetime.of.experiences.and.without.thinking.ahead.to.one’s.hopes.and.plans.for.the.future..In. describing.the.notion.of.“specious.present,”.William.James.(1890/1950).noted.that.“the.knowledge. of.some.other.part.of.the.stream,.past.or.future,.near.or.remote,.is.always.mixed.in.with.our.knowledge.of.the.present.thing”.(p..606)..A.large.part.of.individuals’.conceptualization.of.their.present. self.draws.from.their.memories.of.the.past.and.imaginations.of.the.future..At.the.same.time,.their. reconstructions.of.their.past.and.predictions.for.their.future.are.influenced.by.present.beliefs,.feelings,.and.self-views.
