Pals Jennifer L
Foley Center for the Study of Lives, Northwestern University, IL 60208, USA.
J Pers. 2006 Aug;74(4):1079-109. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00403.x.
Difficult life experiences in adulthood constitute a challenge to the narrative construction of identity. Individual differences in how adults respond to this challenge were conceptualized in terms of two dimensions of narrative identity processing: exploratory narrative processing and coherent positive resolution. These dimensions, coded from narratives of difficult experiences reported by the women of the Mills Longitudinal Study (Helson, 1967) at age 52, were expected to be related to personality traits and to have implications for pathways of personality development and physical health. First, the exploratory narrative processing of difficult experiences mediated the relationship between the trait of coping openness in young adulthood (age 21) and the outcome of maturity in late midlife (age 61). Second, coherent positive resolution predicted increasing ego-resiliency between young adulthood and midlife (age 52), and this pattern of increasing ego-resiliency, in turn, mediated the relationship between coherent positive resolution and life satisfaction in late midlife. Finally, the integration of exploratory narrative processing and coherent positive resolution predicted positive self-transformation within narratives of difficult experiences. In turn, positive self-transformation uniquely predicted optimal development (composite of maturity and life satisfaction) and physical health.
成年期艰难的生活经历对身份认同的叙事构建构成挑战。成年人应对这一挑战方式的个体差异，依据叙事身份加工的两个维度进行概念化：探索性叙事加工和连贯积极解决。这些维度是根据米尔斯纵向研究（赫尔森，1967）中52岁女性所报告的艰难经历的叙事进行编码的，预计与人格特质相关，并对人格发展路径和身体健康产生影响。首先，对艰难经历的探索性叙事加工介导了成年早期（21岁）应对开放性特质与中年后期（61岁）成熟度结果之间的关系。其次，连贯积极解决预示着成年早期到中年（52岁）自我恢复力的增强，而这种自我恢复力增强的模式反过来又介导了连贯积极解决与中年后期生活满意度之间的关系。最后，探索性叙事加工和连贯积极解决的整合预示着在艰难经历叙事中的积极自我转变。反过来，积极自我转变独特地预示着最佳发展（成熟度和生活满意度的综合）和身体健康。
