This study explores the influence of gender and power on autobiographical memory following a brief social interaction. The hypothesis stated that gender and social role (that of leaders versus helpers) would interact in predicting the affective tone and themes (agency and communion) of an autobiographical memory for previous leadership experiences. This was examined by investigating the emotional quality and content of personal memories of a power experience described by 150 undergraduates after a transient interaction. The participants, divided into pairs, completed a 15-minute discussion task. In this interaction relative power was manipulated by randomly assigning participants to the role of either a leader or a helper. The results partially supported the hypothesis, showing that participants of both sexes randomly assigned to a subordinate position used more words pertaining to communal themes, fewer communication words, and shame words more frequently than participants assigned to a leadership role. Gender also interacted with social role in affecting autobiographical memories. Women assigned to subordinate positions tended to use negative emotional words and anxiety words more frequently than men in subordinate positions. These data may have far reaching implications for how the subordinate roles typically played by women and minority groups influence their self construals. (Contains 15 references.) (JDM)