Brief Benefits of Storytelling: Identity

Your narrative identity is your personal story. In psychology, your narrative identity is shown to provide you with a focal point to make meaning of all of your life events. By distilling your experiences into a story you can clearly see the unity between what has come before, where you are now, and where you're going in the future. In other words: your story is everything you've ever experienced. When you reflect on what that story is, you will better understand your identity, the things that make up who you are. 

 

Further Reading:

The Psychology of Life Stories by Dan P. McAdams
Narrative Identity and Meaning Making Across the Adult Lifespan: An Introduction by Jefferson Singer

Come back in the weeks to come to read more bite-sized posts about why storytelling is impactful to your life in the “Brief Benefits of Storytelling” series!