Awareness of Narrative Identity and Selected Aspects of Narrative Activity and Meaning-Making. Preliminary Results

Kamil Janowicz; Emilia Soroko; David J. Hallford

doi:10.18290/rpsych2022.0010

Kamil Janowicz Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6193-5331
Emilia Soroko Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3527-1698
David J. Hallford Deakin University, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1093-8345

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rpsych2022.0010

Keywords: narrative identity, narrative activity, meaning-making, narrative psychology, narrative coherence, post-traumatic growth

Abstract

Narrative identity allows various experiences to be integrated and incorporated into the concept of the self. Recent studies indicate that being aware of developing the story about the self that brings cohesion and meaning may be adaptive. This paper presents preliminary findings across three studies (two quantitative methods and one mixed) aimed at exploring the phenomenon of awareness of narrative identity in terms of its relations to other aspects of narrative identity and meaning-making (meaning in life, self-esteem, and post-traumatic growth). The total number of participants in all studies was 840 (N₁= 254, N₂= 424, N₃= 162). The results indicate that stronger awareness of narrative identity is related to higher self-narrative inclination and reflexivity and may be adaptive in terms of meaning-making and coping with traumatic events. People who were more aware of a narrative identity produced more elaborated and coherent self-narratives about an important past relationship. Additionally, they had a stronger tendency to integrate these past experiences with a sense of self-identity. Surprisingly, awareness of narrative identity was not related to self-esteem. These findings are discussed in terms of narrative identity literature. Moreover, possible directions for further studies to expand our understanding of awareness of narrative identity are proposed.

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