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Thomsen DK, Cowan HR, McAdams DP. Mental illness and personal recovery: A narrative identity framework. Clin Psychol Rev 2025; 116:102546. [PMID: 39817933 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2025.102546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2024] [Revised: 11/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2025] [Indexed: 01/18/2025]
Abstract
This article presents a metamorphic model to describe the manifold role of narrative identity, a person's internal life story, across the course of mental illness and personal recovery. First, early adversity and negative co-authoring may contribute to the development of a fragile life story, which itself may combine with life stressors to increase the likelihood of mental illness. Second, mental illness may negatively impact the development of narrative identity, which in turn may exacerbate the devastating effects of mental illness on daily functioning. Finally, positive changes in narrative identity, as they are influenced by recovery stories of peers and the supportive co-authorship provided by mental health professionals, may contribute in powerful ways to the process of personal recovery. In sum, the metamorphic model demonstrates how narrative identity, as it is implicated in a variety of social spheres, shapes and is shaped by the course of mental illness and recovery. We also show how the model differs from other personality-oriented theories of psychopathology and how it may guide future research and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henry R Cowan
- Psychology, Michigan State University, USA; Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, USA
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2
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Kemper NF, Martin T, Cohrs L, Schmiedek F, Habermas T. Agency and Communion in Brief Entire Life Narratives Across the Life Span. J Pers 2024. [PMID: 39520145 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 10/21/2024] [Accepted: 10/23/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The evolving life story is integral to personality, and motivational themes are central features of the life story. Personality implies individual differences that are relatively stable over time, but still allow for developmental processes. This study explored both long-term stability and developmental change in thematic content of the life story. METHOD Fulfilled and unfulfilled agency and communion were studied in brief entire life narratives across 4 measurements in 12 years in a cohort-sequential design including six cohorts (n = 172; age 8-77). RESULTS Fulfilled agency and communion, as well as unfulfilled agency exhibited moderate rank order stability over 4 and 8 years, fulfilled communion showed even a modest 12-year stability, whereas unfulfilled communion displayed an unsystematic pattern. Developmentally, multilevel analyses revealed an inverted U-shaped association between age and both fulfilled and unfulfilled agency, peaking in mid-life. Fulfilled communion declined after emerging adulthood, but unexpectedly did not increase again in old age. Unfulfilled communion showed no systematic age trends. Girls and women told life narratives with more fulfilled and unfulfilled communion, whereas genders did not differ in either kind of agency. CONCLUSION The content of the life story exhibits rank-order stability over time and systematic mean-level development across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina F Kemper
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Theresa Martin
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lea Cohrs
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Florian Schmiedek
- Department of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- DIPF, Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, Frankfurt, Germany
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Järdmo C, Eriksson PL, Malm I, McLean KC, Frisén A. Creating something new from past experiences-The meaning of change in repeated narratives. J Pers 2023; 91:1294-1313. [PMID: 36637904 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Narrative identity is an essential level of personality, and to develop, the life narrative should entail both stability and change. In this study, we examine the meaning of change in repeated narratives about occupational experiences. METHOD Fifty-nine individuals were interviewed at age 25, 29, and 33. In these interviews 544 narratives and 142 sets of repeated narratives were identified, of these 39 sets of repeated narratives had changed between interviews. A thematic narrative analysis was conducted focusing on the meaning of change in repeated narratives. RESULTS The analysis resulted in five narrative themes: Gaining insights about one's identity, transforming views of past challenges, increasing agency, increasing motivation for occupational commitments, and accentuating competence and importance. In the context of occupational experiences, the results from the narrative themes illuminate how narrators repeatedly engage with the same narrative to elaborate their narrative identity. CONCLUSION This study presents a novel method for capturing identity development, which show that changes in repeated narratives can entail important information about identity growth as well as the way narrators create new stories of their previous experiences in order to continue to make sense of their lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Järdmo
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Py Liv Eriksson
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ida Malm
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kate C McLean
- Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA
| | - Ann Frisén
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Camia C, Motiani S, Waters TE. On the way to adult identity: An evaluation of identity status and narrative identity models of development. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Lysaker PH, Holm T, Kukla M, Wiesepape C, Faith L, Musselman A, Lysaker JT. Psychosis and the challenges to narrative identity and the good life: Advances from research on the integrated model of metacognition. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Weststrate NM, Jayawickreme E, Wrzus C. Advancing a Three-Tier Personality Framework for Posttraumatic Growth. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070211062327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adversity has been assumed to foster positive personality change under certain conditions. In this article, we examine this assumption within the context of the three-tier personality framework integrating traits, characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity to provide a comprehensive understanding of personality growth. We first review findings on how adverse events affect personality on each of these three levels. Second, we summarize knowledge on event-based and person-based predictors of personality change in the face of adversity. Third, we specify affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes that explain personality change across levels of personality. Innovatively, our proposed process model addresses change at all three levels of personality, as well as similarities and differences in processes across the levels. We conclude by discussing unresolved issues, asking critical questions, and posing challenging hypotheses for testing this framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nic M. Weststrate
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eranda Jayawickreme
- Department of Psychology & Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Cornelia Wrzus
- Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Chen H, Wang Y, Liu Z. "I Have Some Sense of Loss but More Sense of Self": A Qualitative Content Analysis of Chinese University Emerging Adults' Personal Life Stories. Front Psychol 2021; 12:765440. [PMID: 34803847 PMCID: PMC8595479 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.765440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The longitudinal, qualitative study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Chinese university emerging adults by analyzing their personal life stories, reflective journals, and semi-structured interview data collected over a 2-year period. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify five themes: maturity, academic performance, interpersonal communication skills, social support network, and sense of loss. The study found that the growth in emerging adulthood was dynamic, positive, and multifaceted. The study demonstrated that writing personal life stories, as a practice of meaningful literacy instruction in EFL contexts, helped students to record a memorable past, reconcile with the past, and strive for personal growth. These findings suggest that emerging adults' personal growth be stressed in foreign language teaching to promote Chinese university emerging adults' growth and development. It is also suggested that personal life stories be used in foreign language teaching under the guidance of meaningful literacy instruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Chen
- School of International Education, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, China
- School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Ying Wang
- School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zengmei Liu
- School of International Education, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan, China
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Abstract
Personality psychology, which seeks to study individual differences in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that persist over time and place, has experienced a renaissance in the last few decades. It has also not been reviewed as a field in the Annual Review of Psychology since 2001. In this article, we seek to provide an update as well as a meta-organizational structure to the field. In particular, personality psychology has a prescribed set of four responsibilities that it implicitly or explicitly tackles as a field: (a) describing what personality is-i.e., what the units of analysis in the field are; (b) documenting how it develops; (c) explaining the processes of personality and why they affect functioning; and (d) providing a framework for understanding individuals and explaining their actions, feelings, and motivations. We review progress made over the last 20 years to address these four agendas and conclude by highlighting future directions and ongoing challenges to the field. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent W Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, USA; , .,Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, 72072 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hee J Yoon
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, USA; ,
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Larissa Bühler J, Weidmann R, Grob A. The actor, agent, and author across the life span: interrelations between personality traits, life goals, and life narratives in an age-heterogeneous sample. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/per.2275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
According to the integrative framework for studying people, personality manifests and develops along three separate, but related, levels: the actor (e.g. traits), agent (e.g. goals), and author (i.e. narratives). Although these levels are thought to be conceptually interrelated, few studies have empirically examined such interrelations. To address this gap, the present study tested how traits, goals, and narratives are longitudinally related to each other and whether master motives (getting along and getting ahead) serve as helpful tools to structure these interrelations. Applying a developmental approach, we further explored these interrelations against the background of age-related effects. A sample of 141 participants (14–68 years, M = 35.40 years) completed self-reports on traits and goals at the beginning and end of a 2-year study. In between these measurements, participants took part in a life story interview that assessed narratives. We applied multilevel analyses and found that traits, goals, and narratives were meaningfully related to each other. Interactions with age occurred in less than 20% of the cases, emerged among the majority of variables (except for agreeableness and openness), were most pronounced for narratives and were mainly found among young and middle-aged participants. The findings are discussed in view of master motives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Larissa Bühler
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Alexander Grob
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Reischer HN, Roth LJ, Villarreal JA, McAdams DP. Self‐transcendence and life stories of humanistic growth among late‐midlife adults. J Pers 2020; 89:305-324. [DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura J. Roth
- Department of Psychology Northwestern University Evanston IL USA
| | | | - Dan P. McAdams
- Department of Psychology Northwestern University Evanston IL USA
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Abstract
Aiming to further the understanding of stability and change of the life story, we investigated memory age and valence of life events as possible factors influencing life narrative stability. Additionally, we examined personal memories that 145 participants ranging in age from 16 to 69 years had told four years earlier but omitted from their current life narratives. In particular, we tested the accessibility of these omitted memories and explored the reasons for omission from life narratives. Younger age of memories but not valence predicted omission. Further, omitted memories could be remembered when aided with memory prompts. Both remembering and including life events in the current life narrative appeared to be related to personal relevance at the time of telling, supporting prior research that emphasises the role of motivation, ongoing goals, and concerns for the construction of personal narratives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Camia
- Department of Psychology, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arabic Emirates
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Thomsen DK, Jensen RAA, Mehlsen MY. One-year stability in life story chapters and memories among emerging, middle-aged, and older adults. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Waters TEA, Köber C, Raby KL, Habermas T, Fivush R. Consistency and stability of narrative coherence: An examination of personal narrative as a domain of adult personality. J Pers 2018; 87:151-162. [PMID: 29498422 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Narrative theories of personality assume that individual differences in coherence reflect consistent and stable differences in narrative style rather than situational and event-specific differences (e.g., McAdams & McLean, 2013). However, this assumption has received only modest empirical attention. Therefore, we present two studies testing the theoretical assumption of a consistent and stable coherent narrative style. METHOD Study 1 focused on the two most traumatic and most positive life events of 224 undergraduates. These event-specific narratives were coded for three coherence dimensions: theme, context, and chronology (NaCCs; Reese et al., 2011). Study 2 focused on two life narratives told 4 years apart by 98 adults, which were coded for thematic, causal, and temporal coherence (Köber, Schmiedek, & Habermas, 2015). RESULTS Confirmatory factor analysis in both studies revealed that individual differences in the coherence ratings were best explained by a model including both narrative style and event-/narration-specific latent variables. CONCLUSIONS The ways in which we tell autobiographical narratives reflect a stable feature of individual differences. Further, they suggest that this stable element of personality is necessary, but not sufficient, in accounting for specific event and life narrative coherence.
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