Multilevelness of personal development and autobiographical narratives

Autobiographical narrative is a means of continuous ordering, integrating and giving new meanings to life experiences. Analyses of autobiographical narratives of adults characterized by a high level of generativity (commitment to passing down values and supporting development of the next generation) – as described by E. Erikson – found differences between the structure and content of their stories and the ones created by less generative adults (McAdams, Diamond, Mansfield, de St. Aubin, 1997). One of the basic structural differences is that the former are dominated by redemption sequences (subjective negative-to-positive revaluation of situations), whereas the latter – by contamination sequences (positive-to-negative revaluation). In the context of the above-specifi ed fi ndings, the question arises whether the observations of the particular type of revaluation can be linked with the concept of multilevelness of personal development and how developmental transformations, connected with the extension of conscious actualization of individual freedom, are refl ected in the means of structuring self-narratives. Analyses of autobiographical narratives by individuals who reached a high level of personal development suggest possible links between the concept of multilevel personal development and the following characteristic features of self-narratives: fi nding coherence between many plots of a story, the prevalence of redemption imagery and integration of basic motifs contained in a life story.

Multilevelness of personal development and autobiographical narratives

Autobiographical narrative is a means of continuous ordering, integrating and giving new meanings to life experiences. Analyses of autobiographical narratives of adults characterized by a high level of generativity (commitment to passing down values and supporting development of the next generation) – as described by E. Erikson – found differences between the structure and content of their stories and the ones created by less generative adults (McAdams, Diamond, Mansfield, de St. Aubin, 1997). One of the basic structural differences is that the former are dominated by redemption sequences (subjective negative-to-positive revaluation of situations), whereas the latter – by contamination sequences (positive-to-negative revaluation). In the context of the above-specifi ed fi ndings, the question arises whether the observations of the particular type of revaluation can be linked with the concept of multilevelness of personal development and how developmental transformations, connected with the extension of conscious actualization of individual freedom, are refl ected in the means of structuring self-narratives. Analyses of autobiographical narratives by individuals who reached a high level of personal development suggest possible links between the concept of multilevel personal development and the following characteristic features of self-narratives: fi nding coherence between many plots of a story, the prevalence of redemption imagery and integration of basic motifs contained in a life story.