Narrative Identity

Narrative Identity

Narrative identity is simply the internal and developing story of the self that one constructs in order to prosper and make meaning out of his or her existence (Lippitt & Stokes, 2015). The story is a specific reconstruction of the self-portraying past and a narrative reckoning of the imagined future that serves to clarify, for the self and others, how the individual developed, continues to develop, and where his or her life may lead. In their late adolescent and young adult years, people begin to piece together their lives into narrative characters. However, the process of developing one’s narrative identity continues throughout one’s life. In developing self-characterizing biographies, individuals rely vigorously on winning social standards and the pictures, illustrations, and topics that have gone through the numerous narratives they experience in social life (Chen, McAnaly, Wang, Reese, 2012).

Theories of Narrative Identity

Theories of narrative identity started to develop in the 1980s with the compositions of the logicians, therapists, and social scholars. In 1985, McAdams proposed the primary full hypothetical model of narrative identity and delineated an exploration motivation for inspecting the content and basic highlights of autobiographies. From that point forward, theories and hypotheses of narrative identity have advanced to envelop topics from various diverse methodologies and perspectives (McAdams, 1985).

Paul Ricoeur and Narrative Identity

Paul Ricoeur was a French philosopher who developed a theory on narrative and narrative identity. The findings of the philosopher have, even now, a high influence in the psychological world (Lippitt & Stokes, 2015). A philosopher is said to engage keenly with traditions that are phenomenological, hermeneutical, psychoanalytic and existential. Paul Ricoeur’s ideas are continually resonating with a wide range of concepts in terms of where the theorization of narrative and narrative identity takes place. Ricoeur contended against essentialist adaptations of the human subject. Yet, in addition, is against postmodern variants of a profoundly de-focused non-subject – controlled by talk (Foucault), or dialect (Derrida) (Lippitt & Stokes, 2015). Paul Ricoeur recommends a rendition of the human subject in which individual identity is not completely steady or self-straightforward, but rather is not mixed up or self-estranged. The human subject has been comprehended to approach itself just as intervened by dialect. For Ricoeur, this self-relationship is basically one of dynamic elucidation, as opposed to completely self-sufficient and self-development (Chen et al, 2012).

Impact of Narrative Identity on Mental Adjustment

From past investigations on narrative identity and Ricoeur theory, specialists today have pay a lot of attention to mental adjustment and advancement. Research into the connection between biographies and adjustment demonstrates that storytellers who find redemptive implications in difficult situations have a tendency to appreciate more elevated amounts of emotional prosperity, well-being, and development. The same likewise applies to the individuals, who build biographies that have the component subject of an individual’s organization and investigation (Lippitt & Stokes, 2015).

Conclusion

Narrative identity has greatly improved from its inception in discussions amongst people to the enunciation of refined importance making methodologies in the individual stories told in youthfulness and the adulthood years. There has been an unraveling of causal relations between highlights of biographies and positive mental adjustment. Besides, its role in the wide social settings in the improvement of narrative identity has been distinguished. From this, Ricoeur’s idea has been supported fully based on the effects of narrative identity on ones awareness of their life story. From the perspectives derived from Ricoeur’s theories, individuals constitute themselves as people by framing and working with self-portraying narratives with the type of the tale of a man’s life. The solidarity of a man is the solidarity of a self-portraying narrative.

Verifiability and Accuracy of Narratives

Narratives are to a great extent verifiable. However, they are not profoundly abstract. Moreover, they are externally and locally open. Narratives, additionally, should be precise. This is in spite of the fact that this precision does not have to be absolute (Greenhoot & McLean, 2013). The Ricoeur’s conception of person narrative is too narrow. However, it gives examples of non-forensic interpersonal interactions of people. This view shows persons as units of full range of practical concerns and interactions. Their identity constituting narrative being constructed through a life lived in the network of interpersonal interactions. This realization could prove useful for observation behavior specialist to guide person in any organization through any psychological situation. They will use their understanding of the narratives of person of interest to try and understand their personal perspectives. Consequently, the OB specialist will derive a solution that resonates with the personal story of that individual. Such a solution will bode well with how the individual sees his/herself making it a very effective tool in psychology.

Incorporating Meaningful Narratives

Ricoeur theory holds on to the sense that an individual can meaningfully incorporate narratives that are already in existence into their own narratives. This is through emplotment and interpretation (Greenhoot & McLean, 2013). Thus, they open opportunities into one’s life that are real and logical into their own worlds. Behavioral specialist can use this to try and incorporate meaningful narratives into their patients to change a certain behavioral problem being faced.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, narrative identity is the simple story that one perceives to be his/her life story. Narrative identity theories have been developed in psychology to improve one’s perspective of their lives through incorporation of better narratives and better identity of ones perception of their own life story.

References

Chen Y., McAnaly H. M., Wang W., Reese E. (2012). The coherence of critical event narratives and adolescents’ psychological functioning. Memory, 20, 667–681.

Greenhoot A., McLean K. C. (Eds.). (2013). Memory: Special issue on the costs and benefits of finding meaning in the past. Memory, 21, 1–156.

Lippitt, J., & Stokes, P. (2015). Narrative, identity and the Kierkegaardian self.

McAdams, D. P. (1985). Power, intimacy, and the life story: Personological inquiries into identity. New York: Guilford Press.