To view pain as wondrous: A multi-method investigation into narrative redemption, identity formation, and psychological well-being Público

Abstract

This study examined the identity formation processes in redemptive narratives of personal challenge in relation to psychological well-being. Open-ended narratives of challenging experiences were collected from college emerging adults. These narratives were coded for redemption based upon a newly devised coding scheme which brought to light several levels of redemption. Narratives were also coded for identity, and redemption and identity were assessed for main and interaction effects on psychological well-being. Redemption and identity were significantly associated with personal growth, marginally associated with global psychological well-being, and interacted on purpose in life. From this quantitative analysis emerged a qualitative investigation into the nuances of identity development in emerging adults’ redemptive narratives. Through qualitative deep readings of narratives, a model of identity expression was developed which includes four domains, all of which are present in thematically different manifestations in the qualitative data corpus. The importance of the mixed-method approach for comprehensive science is discussed, as well as the implications for how narrative researchers understand redemption in the context of psychosocial development and psychological well-being.

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………....……………………………………….1

Conceptualizations of Narrative Redemption……………………………………………………2

           Narrative Redemption and The Good Life…………………….………………………………....7

Identity Development and the Narrative Mode…………………………………………………11

           The Current Project……………………………………………….……………………...............18

Methods……………………………………………………………………....…………………………….21

           Participants……………………….…………………….………………………………………….21

           Procedures…………………………………………………………………………………………22

                        Data collection………….....……………………………………..................................22

                        Quantitative measure of psychological well-being...…………………………………22

                        Narrative prompt of personal challenge…………….…………………………………23

            Narrative Coding…………………………………......…………………………………………..23

                        Redemption coding…………………………………….....……………………………..23

                        Identity-Situation orientation coding…………………………………………………...25

                        Narrative coding reliability………………………………………………………………27

Quantitative Analysis……………………………………………………………………………...28

           Qualitative Analysis…………………………………………………….………………...............28

                        Developing the question……………………………………….………………………..28

                        The qualitative process…………………………………………......…………………..30

                                    Reflexivity.......................................................................................………..30

                                    Presentation of findings……………………………..…………………………31

Quantitative Results…………………………………………………………………...…………............32

            Question 1: Canonical Redemptive Typologies…………………………….…………………32

            Question 2: Associations with Psychological Well-Being………………….…………………36

Quantitative Discussion…………………………………………………………………..………………38

Qualitative Results and Discussion……………………………………………………….……………..45

            Question 3: Processes of Identity Formation…………………………………….……………45

                        Qualitative model…………………………………………………………….…............45

                                    Challenge Typology………………………………………………….…...........47

                                    Resolution Typology……………………………………………………………48

                                    Self-Reference………………………………………………………..…………49

                                    Integration……………………………………………………………….………50

                        Frequencies of qualitative categories………………………………..........................53

                        Bringing the four domains together……………………………………………...........54

General Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………...…..66

Conclusions, Limitations, and Future Directions…………………………………………………….…69

References………………………………………………………………………………………………....72

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………………………80

            Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………………......80

            Appendix B……………………………………………………………………………………......83

            Appendix C………………………………………………………………………………………..85

            Appendix D………………………………………………………………………………………..86

            Appendix E………………………………………………………………………………………..88

Appendix F…………………………………………………………………………………………89

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Psychology
Subfield / Discipline	Cognition and Development
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, General
Palabra Clave	Identity Mixed-Method Well-Being Qualitative Analysis Narrative
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Fivush, Robyn, Emory University
Committee Members	Hall, Pamela, Emory University Rochat, Philippe, Emory University

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