THE NARRATIVE SELF

Question 1

According to self-affirmation theory, why does affirming one’s core values help people respond more openly to threatening information?

Answer 1

Strengthens overall self integrity, reducing need to defend yourself against the threat

Question 2

What is Narrative Identity?

Answer 2

A person’s internalized and evolving life story

*Has many of the same elements as other narratives
*Beginning, middle, and imagined end
*Major events that determine plot
*Heroes and villains

Question 3

What are the 3 Features of Narrative Identity?

Answer 3

1. Not perfectly accurate, instead based on a selective and biased reconstruction of the past and imagined future
   *Narrative identity is deeply personal and highly subjective
   *“We’re more like novelists, than secretaries.”
2. A work-in-progress
   *Constantly shifting as we experience new situations
3. Made up of multiple stories that may be contradictory

Question 4

What are the two Functions of Narrative Identity?

Answer 4

1. Continuity and unity of the self: organizes the self in time by connecting the past, present, and future self

*story unifies our lives
- But not total unity (we are biased)

2. Meaning and purpose: A way to make sense of the events of one’s life

*Make sense of your life events
- Same event can happen to two people, but both have different interpretations / meanings for it

Question 5

How might this be related to William James’ self?

Answer 5

We are each the storyteller/ author writing the narrative of our lives

*Storyteller = I

*Narrative = me

Question 6

When does Identity development begin?

Answer 6

in adolescence

Question 8

How does the Narrative Identity develop? (Why does it start developing in adolescence)

Answer 8

Identity development begins in adolescence due to:

1) First time you have Societal expectation about your identity (what job should I do? What school should I go to?)

2) Improvements in cognitive development
*Causal coherence: the ability to craft a causal narrative wherein events link together
*Causal coherence is necessary for the construction of autobiographical narratives

Question 9

How is the Narrative Identity Fundamentally Social?

Answer 9

1. Parents shape narrative skills in children
2. As adults, our life narratives are edited and reinterpreted by talking with others
   - We often cling to version of story that we tell to others
   (ppl we tell = editor)

Question 10

How is narrative identity studied?

Life Story Interview

Answer 10

Participants are interviewed for 2-3 hours about the story of their life

tell like book / movie

a more detailed account of a few keys scenes

Stories are then coded for themes

Question 11

What are the common themes to look for?

1. Agency

2.Communion

3. Redemption
4. Contamination
5. Coherence

Answer 11

1. Agency
   - The degree to which protagonists are able to affect change in their own lives or influence others in their environment
   - High agency: stories focus on accomplishment / ability to control ur own nate

2.Communion
- Connection (love / friendship)

3. Redemption
   - “Bad events” have a “good” emotionally positive outcome
   
   • They frame event as necessary for growth
4. Contamination
   - “positive event” turns “bad”
   - The negative overwhelms positive
5. Coherence
   
   • Clear causal sequency
     (Make clear sense) (Clear story)

Question 12

A student is participating in a life story interview. The interviewer asks them to describe a “turning point” in their life. Which of the following responses would best reflect a redemption sequence?

Answer 12

Losing job = lowest moment
- Pushed them something they are passionate about

Question 13

What do life stories reveal about people?

Answer 13

*Continuity and change in life stories

*Associations with personality

*Links with well-being

Question 14

How do life stories show continuity and change?

Answer 14

Continuity:
- Similar complexity
- Agency
- Positive emotional tone

Change:
- Even between time 1 and 2 (3 months apart) only 28% were repeated
Ex. Sara
T1:
- Going abroad
- First love Tony

T2:
- She was expecting to be disappointed
- Tony was still mentioned

T3:
- Doesn’t mention him at all

Question 15

How do stories change over time?

Answer 15

At the end of the study (T3), young adults constructed stories that were more positive, emotionally nuanced, and showed greater personal understanding compared to the stories at T1

Question 16

How do life stories change based on age?

Answer 16

Compared to younger adults, older adults tend to construct life stories that are:More complex and coherent
*Fits with SCC findings
*More positive in emotional tone
*More summarized and less detailed

*Suggests that as we get older, our life story becomes “warmer, fuzzier” and more integrated

Question 17

Explain: Narrative Identity and Personality

1. Narrative identity
2. Characteristic adaptations
3. Personality traits

Answer 17

1. Narrative identity:
   *Internalized and evolving life stories
   *Tell what a person’s life means in time
2. Characteristic adaptations:
   *Values, goals, personal projects, defenses
   *Capture more socially contextualized and motivational aspects of individuality
3. Personality traits:
   *Broad individual differences
   *E.g. Big Five
   *Account for consistency in behaviour

Question 18

High neuroticism is associated with stories characterized by…

Answer 18

*High negative emotion

*Low positive emotion

*Less growth

*More contamination sequence

Question 19

High agreeableness is associated with stories characterized by…

Answer 19

*High communion

Question 20

Openness to experience is associated with stories characterized by…

Answer 20

*More complex, containing multiple plots

*High coherence

Question 21

High power motivation associated with life stories that…

Answer 21

*Emphasize agentic themes (personal agenda)

*Use an analytic and differentiated narrative style
*Focusing on differences, separation, opposition

Question 22

High intimacy motivation associated with life stories that…

Answer 22

Communal (connection / relationships)

*Emphasize communal themes

*Use a holistic and integrated narrative style:
*Focusing on similarities and connections between different life story scene

Question 23

What are the implications of diff traits having diff stories?

Answer 23

Different kinds of people construct different kinds of stories
- There are links between personality, goals, values and life stories

BUT: Correlation is not Causation
- Direction of the personality-life story link is unclear

Question 24

During a conversation with a friend, Kevin describes a painful breakup as a moment that permanently shaped his negative views on relationships. Instead of seeing personal growth from the experience, he believes it was a turning point that led to ongoing struggles in his life. Which personality trait is most likely associated with Kevin’s narrative identity?

Answer 24

High Neurotisism

Question 25

How do people narrate negative events? Those who are resilient in the face of life challenges tend to engage in a 2-step process of meaning making:

Answer 25

1. Exploring the negative experience in depth 2. Committing self to a positive resolution *More redemption sequences and focus on personal growth are associated with higher well-being

Question 26

Which theme is present in many depressed ppls life stories?

Answer 26

People who are depressed tend to create life stories with themes of contamination

Question 27

What is Psychotherapy used for?

Answer 27

Psychotherapy is a prime arena for challenging life stories

Question 28

Which theme tends to be the most important predictor of therapeutic efficacy? (Psychotheraphy)

Answer 28

Theme of personal agency in life story *In studies of former psychotherapy patients, those who report current higher levels of well-being tend to narrate heroic stories in which they bravely battled their symptoms *In a prospective study, increases in themes of agency in narratives preceded and predicted improvements in mental health

Question 29

What is a highly generative person?

Answer 29

*Generative: people with a strong commitment to promoting the well-being of future generations and improving the world they live in Like a legacy (what is a legacy? it's planting seeds in a garden you don't get to see)

Question 30

What is the Redemptive Self?

Answer 30

Highly generative midlife adults tend to see their own lives as stories of redemption

Question 31

What are the Five Life Story Themes of the Redemptive Self? 1. Early advantage (EA) 2. Sensitivity to the suffering of others (SS) 3. Moral steadfastness (MS) 4. Redemption sequences (RS) 5. Pro-social goals (PG)

Answer 31

1. Early advantage (EA): The narrator indicates that they have experienced an advantage or distinction (physical, material, psychological, social) that singles them out for special positive attention 2. Sensitivity to the suffering of others (SS): The narrator expresses sympathy for the problems of other people or societal injustice as a child 3. Moral steadfastness (MS): The narrator emphasizes strong value system which motivates behavior. The values are central to their identity and unshakeable 4. Redemption sequences (RS): The narrator describes a movement from demonstrably negative situation to a positive outcome 5. Pro-social goals (PG): The narrator sets goals that involve contributing to the well-being of others beyond one’s own family

Question 32

Correlates of the Redemptive Self (Study: Examined the life stories of 157 midlife adult)

Answer 32

Each feature (theme) is associated with positive well-being - None associated with depression (except Early life advantage)

Question 33

Why do adults follow similar stories (the redemptive self?)

Answer 33

Sets up a moral challenge that encourages the person to help the next generation *“I am blessed, but others suffer.” *Redemption sustains hope in the face of challenges and setback

Question 34

How is the redemptive self culturally valued?

Answer 34

(American) it is an American prototype of “the good life” *People use this prototype to make sense of their life - Like meritocracy (need to struggle and acheive)

Question 35

How does culture impact the narrative self?

Answer 35

We construct our narrative identities according to the norms and scripts present in our culture *Culture tells us what events are meaningful, what is a “tellable” story, and provide a blueprint for how to make sense of events *E.g. life milestones = post-secondary education, job, moving out of parent’s house, get married, have kid

Question 36

What are some Cultural Differences in Life Stories? (North American vs. East Asian)

Answer 36

North American adults tend to: *Report earlier age of first memory *Have more detailed memories of childhood *Have memories more focused on own personal experiences and emotion East Asian adults tend to: * recall more social/historical events and memories place greater emphasis on social interactions and loved one

Question 37

What do cultural differences reflect?

Answer 37

Differences in memories reflect cultural differences in prioritization of the individual vs. the collective