Narrative identity across multiple autobiographical episodes: Considering means and variability with well-being

This project tested the ways mean expressions of narrative identity and variability in expressions of narrative identity informed young adults’ well-being. We collected three narratives about past life challenges and coded narratives for themes of growth, agency, communion, and coherence. We tested whether a) mean scores and b) a variability index that avoids conflation with means were uniquely associated with well-being. Mean scores of growth, agency, and coherence were positively associated with domains of well-being, accounting for demographics and Big Five trait endorsements, replicating existing research. Variability was not directly associated with endorsements of well-being. However, moderations by gender suggested that women who displayed variability endorsed higher well-being than women expressing lower variability and men expressing higher variability.