The identity issue in D.P. McAdams’ and E.H. Erikson approaches

The article investigates the relationship between narrative and psychosocial identity. Dan McAdams’ point of departure for his concept of narrative identity is Erik Erikson’s developmental model, based on whih he states that narrative identity as a globally coherent life story begins to emerge in adolescence and early adulthood. He refers to the same developmental factors as Erikson and stresses an analogical function: the integration of different elements of life. On the other hand, narrative self-understanding allows to include a personal change in time better than stable commitments.
The aforementioned premises inspired exploratory research on the relation of emerging life commitments and global coherence of self narratives. Examined adolescents constructed superficial coherent autonarratives without any relation to commitments, although commitments were positively related to thematic coherence based on self-refl ection. Causal understanding of personal change was rarely included in the stories (even by people with strong commitments).
The author argues that it is likely that at first there develops the conventional and superficial organization of an autonarrative whih is then structured on the refl ection of someone’s life. Although the integration of one’s life is common for both approaches to identity, understanding a personal change is probably more related to further developmental achievements than stable commitments.

The identity issue in D.P. McAdams’ and E.H. Erikson approaches

The article investigates the relationship between narrative and psychosocial identity. Dan McAdams’ point of departure for his concept of narrative identity is Erik Erikson’s developmental model, based on whih he states that narrative identity as a globally coherent life story begins to emerge in adolescence and early adulthood. He refers to the same developmental factors as Erikson and stresses an analogical function: the integration of different elements of life. On the other hand, narrative self-understanding allows to include a personal change in time better than stable commitments.
The aforementioned premises inspired exploratory research on the relation of emerging life commitments and global coherence of self narratives. Examined adolescents constructed superficial coherent autonarratives without any relation to commitments, although commitments were positively related to thematic coherence based on self-refl ection. Causal understanding of personal change was rarely included in the stories (even by people with strong commitments).
The author argues that it is likely that at first there develops the conventional and superficial organization of an autonarrative whih is then structured on the refl ection of someone’s life. Although the integration of one’s life is common for both approaches to identity, understanding a personal change is probably more related to further developmental achievements than stable commitments.