Selves Creating Stories Creating Selves: A Process Model of Self-Development
Abstract
This article is focused on the growing empirical emphasis on connections between narrative and self-development. The authors propose a process model of self-development in which storytelling is at the heart of both stability and change in the self. Specifically, we focus on how situated stories help develop and maintain the self with reciprocal impacts on enduring aspects of self, specifically self-concept and the life story. This article emphasizes the research that has shown how autobiographical stories affect the self and provides a direction for future work to maximize the potential of narrative approaches to studying processes of self-development.
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Creating a life story provides stability to our existence and plays a central role in the development of the self as well as in achieving subjective wellbeing.
“In other words, creating a life story provides stability to our existence and therefore plays a central role in the development of the self (McLean et al., 2007) as well as in achieving subjective wellbeing (Adler et al., 2016).”
From Understanding Autobiographical Memory in the Digital Age: The AMEDIA-Model (2024) · cites this paper as McLean et al., 2007
Cites
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“The ideas that stories and self are intimately linked (e.g., Fivush, 2001; McAdams, 1993, 2001; Singer & Salovey, 1993; Thorne, 2000) and that stories are situated (e.g., Bamberg, 2004b; Pasupathi, 2001; Thorne, 2004) have separately received a great deal of attention in receznt years.”
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Understanding Autobiographical Memory in the Digital Age: The AMEDIA-Model
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- Authors
- McLean, K. C., Pasupathi, M., & Pals, J. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- University of Utah (US)
- Haverford College (US)
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Review
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2007-08
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 262-278
- ISSN
- 1088-8683 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7957
- OpenAlex
- W1974646183
- Cited by
- 1,065
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 54 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 71 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 115 · 2019: 66 · 2018: 101 · 2017: 50 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 56 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 36
- FWCI
- 6.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative research in health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- self-development, narrative identity, autobiographical memory, storytelling, self-concept, life stories, process model
- MeSH terms
- Autobiographies as Topic, Culture, Ego, Humans, Memory, Personality Development, Self Concept, Social Desirability, Time Factors, Narration
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