Narrative Identity Anchors the Self During Instability: The Structuring Effect of Cinematic Self

Abstract

According to narrative identity theory, narratives underlie a strong sense of self because they unify and integrate identity (McAdams, 2008). Consistent with this, individual differences in cinematic self, how storied people experience themselves (Wong, Dirghangi, & Butner, 2020), positively relate to stronger self outcomes. If narratives provide a robust structure for identity, then the consequences of having a stronger or weaker narrative identity may be particularly evident during instability. Two studies tested the hypothesis narrative identity moderates the relationship between self-instability and sense of self. Significant interactions were observed across university students ( N  =  172) and online adults ( N  =  248), that were consistent across measures of self (self-concept clarity, self-alienation, self-awareness) and stability (stability of self, labile self-esteem), and remained significant controlling for self-esteem. The results support the idea a highly storied identity structures a more robust self than a lesser storied identity and that narrative identity promotes resilience during unstable times.