Paper Details

This study critically examines the role of episodic memory—the retrieval of personally experienced events embedded within specific temporal and spatial contexts (Tulving, 2002)—in shaping the lived experiences of older adults, with particular emphasis on identity construction, familial dynamics, and psychological resilience. Employing Conway and Pleydell-Pearce’s (2000) Self-Memory System (SMS) as its theoretical framework, the research investigates how episodic memories serve as a cognitive scaffold for maintaining self-continuity amid the psychosocial challenges of aging (Bluck & Alea, 2002). The SMS model, which posits that autobiographical memory is hierarchically organized to preserve coherence between the "working self" and long-term self-narratives (Conway, 2005), provides a robust lens to explain the prevalence of reminiscence in late adulthood. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of the Bollywood film Aachari Baa (2025), this article demonstrates how episodic recollections mediate emotional regulation (Pillemer, 1998), identity reaffirmation (Habermas & Bluck, 2000), and social behavior (Webster, 2003) in older individuals. Methodologically, the study adopts qualitative techniques, integrating scenic analysis to decode visual metaphors of memory, character analysis to trace identity evolution, and dialogic analysis to extract thematic patterns. Findings reveal how cinematic narratives reflect empirical phenomena, such as intergenerational estrangement exacerbated by fragmented memory recall (Fivush et al., 2011) or compensatory bonds with non-human companions (Richeson & Shelton, 2006). By situating filmic representations within gerontological and cognitive theories, this research advances discourse on aging and societal marginalization.

Episodic Memory, Gerontology, Aachari Baa, Self-Memory System