What’s your story? Discovering meaning and purpose through narrative identity
Last week, we brought you five tips for cultivating meaning and purpose in Gen Z, including nurturing relationships with young adults, practicing careful listening, encouraging and modeling service to others, setting goals that are focused on others, and nurturing spiritual growth.
These suggestions were based on our new report, On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challenges, in which Gen Z young adults reported nearly twice the rates of anxiety and depression as teens. This week, we’re getting more hands-on with an exercise that guides young people through a series of questions about their “narrative identity”—or the stories we tell ourselves that shape our sense of who we are and what our future holds.
The framework below enables young people to consider how different aspects of these self-narratives—e.g., their aspirational or “ideal” story, their “ought” story, their “shame” story—shape how and when they experience meaning and purpose. Young adults might then explore how they might manage each of these stories in ways that propel them towards their ideal story. In guiding young adults through this exercise, mentors, such as parents, teachers, or work supervisors, might think about and share how they navigate their own stories. We’ve included sample responses to help make this exercise more concrete.
Crafting a narrative identity
Ideal story
The story of the life you aspire to lead.
I am a successful professional with a job I enjoy that pays well enough, allows me to make a positive impact on the world, and allows me to travel frequently or live abroad. I have the freedom to travel the world and explore new places.
Ought story
The story of the life your parents or community expect you to lead.
I am a successful professional with a job that pays very well. I live close to family, see them often, and contribute financially to my parents’ future. I am in a long-term romantic relationship, or I am already married.
Almost story
The story of roads not taken that still pull on your imagination.
I move abroad for graduate school after college and the make personal and professional connections that allow me to live and work abroad as a young adult.
Shame story
The story of the life you fear you will lead.
I am stuck in a job that doesn't fulfill me, but I feel like I don't have any other options. I live close to home and rarely travel. Pretty much the same thing happens every day, but I can’t seem to break out of the cycle.
Existential story
The story you may have about the essential meaning of life.
It’s important to make positive contributions to your family, community, and the world every day.
Pragmatic story
The story of the constraints and realities you are facing (such as financial constraints or family obligations).
My family is very tight-knit but my parents are not wealthy. They are depending on me to be more financially well-off so that I can support them when they are older.
What’s your story?
Posted by Alison Cashin, Director of Communications
