Individual Differences in Object Imagery, Spatial Imagery, Verbal Skills, and Personality in Relation to Centrality of Positive and Negative Events

Event centrality refers to the extent to which an individual integrates a meaningful life event into their identity. Our study explored the relationships between different types of imagery, verbal skills, personality traits, and the centrality of autobiographical events. Object imagery and verbal skills predicted the centrality of positive events, which remained significant independent of sex and personality traits. These findings highlight the roles of object imagery and verbal skills in centrality of positive autobiographical events and suggest that both vivid pictorial representations and narrative construction of positive memories are crucial for their integration into one's self-concept. However, none of cognitive individual differences (object imagery, spatial imagery, and verbal skills) predicted centrality of negative events, which might be more influenced by other factors. Sex predicted centrality of negative events, with females reporting higher centrality than males. However, we observed the disappearance of the sex effect after controlling for neuroticism. Neuroticism seems to play a critical role in how negative experiences are processed and integrated into one’s self-concept, overshadowing direct effects of sex. Recognizing individual differences in imagery, verbal skills, and personality can enhance our understanding of autobiographical memory mechanisms and improve the effectiveness of psychological treatments, potentially increasing positive event centralization.