Integritus Prime

New research suggests that narrative identity, or our stories about our personal lives, have bearing on our mental health over time.

Study author Jonathan M. Adler summarizes summarizes research findings in a recent blog:

“Agency: When people made sense of their lives with a sense that they were in the driver’s seat, as opposed to being batted around at the whims of external forces, they experienced positive trajectories of mental health in the following years.

Communion: When people described their lives as marked by connections with close others, they experienced positive trends in their mental health in the following years.

Redemption: When people’s stories about difficult or challenging experiences included a shift in the emotional tone towards some positivity, insight, or lesson they drew from the experience, they showed positive trajectories of mental health in the following years.

Contamination: When people’s stories had patterns wherein positive beginnings gave way to negative endings, they showed negative trajectories of mental health in the following years.”

At Alchemus Prime, we focus on agency through the behavioral science aspects of our model, and incorporate storytelling in the design thinking and mindfulness portions of our workshops. We also promote a healthy detachment from personal stories to leave room for creating the self that we want to become, thereby inspiring new stories of empowerment.

Personal stories influence our mental health – how do you tell your story? Is it empowering?