Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
M.A., Arizona State University
B.A., University of Utah

Avril Thorne studies the development of self and identity in the context of telling one’s past to family members and friends. She also studies the meaning of parents’ life stories for adolescents’ and young adults’ developing sense of self.

One ongoing project examines self-defining memories in adolescence and young adulthood. We have found that memorable moments of telling such memories teach important lessons about what can and cannot be shared with others. Another project examines how parents tell and don't tell their own teenage experiences to their children. A central theme of Thorne’s research is that constructing a coherent sense of self always involves engagement with community practices and values. Adolescence is a felicitous age to explore the construction of self because social networks are relatively broad and diverse, and a connected sense of one’s past, present, and anticipated future is just beginning to emerge.

Identity development through personal memory telling; development of meaning in adolescents' self-defining memory narratives; family story telling and the development of a sense of self; narrative co-construction of identity and intimacy.

Avril Thorne studies the development of personality and self-narratives in the context of get-acquainted conversations, adolescent friendships,

Thorne, A., McLean, K.C., and Lawrence, A. When remembering is not enough: Reflecting on self-defining memories in late adolescence. Journal of Personality, 2004, 513-541.

Thorne, A. and McLean, K.C. Telling traumatic events in adolescence: A study of master narratived positioning. In R. Fivush and C. Haden (Eds.), Connecting culture and memory: The development of an autobiographical self, pp.169-185. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2003.

McLean, K.C. and Thorne, A. Adolescents' self-defining memories about relationships. Developmental Psychology, 2003, 39, 635-645.

Personal memory telling and personality development. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2000, 4, 45-56.

Thorne, A. and Michaelieu, Q. Situating adolescent gender and self-esteem with personal memories. Child Development,1996, 67, 1362-1378.