Narrative identity informs psychological adjustment: Considering three themes captured across five time points and two event valences

Abstract

Objectives How narrative identity and well‐being are intertwined as emerging adults process their lived experiences remains a critical theoretical and empirical question. We studied narrative identity among US emerging adults in a multiphase study. We aimed to test (1) if and how narrative identity themes (i.e., coherence, agency, growth) change rapidly across repeated narrations; (2) are related to reports of psychological adjustment (i.e., well‐being, recent stress) over time; and (3) whether the valence of the autobiographical event nuanced the ways narrative identity and adjustment co‐evolve. Methods In a mini‐longitudinal study conducted over three months, 300 adults aged 18‐to‐29‐years (M age = 24.39 years; 60% women) provided autobiographical narratives about high‐point and low‐point (LP) life events at five time points, as well as repeated reports on well‐being and recent stress. Results Overall, coherence showed (1) the most consistency across time and valence than other narrative themes and (2) the most consistent associations with adjustment. In multilevel models, LP coherence and LP growth coincided with higher levels of adjustment. Conclusions Findings reinforce the ways narrative identity reflects dynamic processes of understanding the events of one's life, and the ways individual differences in framing and reasoning about life are important for psychological adjustment.

It’s is Time to Make More Goals So I Can Keep Pushing: Hope, Growth, and Well-Being Among Young Black Women

“…Overall, quantitative findings supported expectations that Black women's personality factors-here, hope as a facet of character and growth as a facet of narrative identity-would be positively associated with reports of well-being. We replicated existing work on the importance of character and narrative identity for well-being (Booker et al, 2021a(Booker et al, , 2021b(Booker et al, , 2021cMansfield et al, 2015;McLean et al, 2020) and the importance of positive life reasoning and meaning for Black, college-going women (Pals & McAdams, 2004;Wilkins, 2012). Hope and growth are each important for moving forward in life with independence and control-values that are important for the ways some Black women organize identity and value ideals of personal strength and dependability (Bradbury & Mashigo, 2018;Lewis, et al, 2013).…”

“…Mansfield et al (2015) found that personal growth in narratives about interpersonal conflicts of personal transgressions was related to increased well-being, selfcompassion, and forgiveness among college adults. Booker and colleagues (Booker, 2019;Booker et al, 2021aBooker et al, , 2021c found similar associations of growth from emerging adults' narratives of interpersonal conflict and personal setbacks. Further, Bauer and colleagues (Bauer & McAdam's, 2004Bauer, et al, 2005;Bauer & Park, 2010) showed that narrated growth is beneficial for well-being and remains relevant for adjustment throughout adulthood.…”

“…Narrative identity also provides a sense of self-stability during turbulent times (Habermas & Köber, 2015)-our stories of past successes and overcoming trials are especially important as we confront loss and setback (Booker et al, 2021a). These events of challenges, transgressions, and conflicts may be key in shaping identity development (Adler et al, 2015;Booker et al, 2021bBooker et al, , 2021cMansfield, et al, 2015;McLean et al, 2020).…”

“…Features of narrative identity can be measured in different ways: in how people organize and structure life events; in how people emphasize emotions and motivations; and in how people they reason about their lives (see Fivush et al, 2017;McAdams & McLean, 2013;McLean et al, 2020). Individual differences in these features tend to inform psychological well-being (e.g., Adler et al, 2015;Booker et al, 2020Booker et al, , 2021aBooker et al, , 2021cMcLean et al, 2020). Further, narrative identity features can provide incremental information for well-being above and beyond other important self-reports involving personality (see Adler et al, 2016).…”

“…Narrative identity is the reflection of those ways people tend to frame and draw meaning from the stories of their lives, and the ways they are coming to understand their place in the world (McAdams & McLean, 2013). Narrative identity is enduring—it reflects personality—yet it is also dynamic across contexts (Adler, 2019; Booker et al, 2021c). Narrative identity is important because it coincides with the emergence of identity development and is a means of framing identity by connecting chapters of one’s life for a coherent view of the self (Habermas & Bluck, 2000; McAdams & Guo, 2014).…”