Self-Event Connections, Good Storytelling, and the Good Life: Evidence of Cultural Norms and Individual Differences in Young Adults’ Narratives of Life Challenges

Authors

Elizabeth Flatt, North Carolina State UniversityFollow
Robyn Fivush, Emory UniversityFollow
Jordan A. Booker, University of MissouriFollow

Abstract

The way people connect their life stories and sense of self is important for identity and functioning. U.S. emerging adults’ expressions of self-event connections within a story may reflect societal narrative conventions and indicate the narrative work required to integrate redemption into one’s identity. We recruited 336 college and community adults (M_age = 20.53 years; 57.7% women), who provided a challenging event narrative and reported well-being. Instances of self-event connections were coded for valence (i.e., negative, neutral, positive) and category (i.e., disposition, value, growth). We expected individuals’ expressions of connections to follow a redemptive arc and transition from dispositional/value to growth connections as narratives resolved. We expected individuals who expressed more (a) positive and (b) growth-focused connections to report greater well-being. Findings supported most expectations. Connections shifted toward positive valence but moved through growth toward dispositions and values. Greater uses of positive and growth-focused connections were robustly associated with greater well-being endorsements.

Suggested Reviewers

.

Recommended Citation

Flatt, Elizabeth; Fivush, Robyn; and Booker, Jordan A. (2024) "Self-Event Connections, Good Storytelling, and the Good Life: Evidence of Cultural Norms and Individual Differences in Young Adults’ Narratives of Life Challenges," Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal: Vol. 70: Iss. 3, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/mpq/vol70/iss3/9