%0 Journal Article
%T Self
%A Dorthe Kirkegaard Thomsen
%A Tine Holm
%J Imagination, Cognition and Personality
%@ 1541-4477
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0276236617733839
%X Constructing a coherent life story through the formation of self-event connections may help maintain unity in the self. We examined how positive and negative self-event connections were related to symptoms of psychopathology when controlling for two other measures of self-unity: self-concept clarity and dissociation. While most studies of life stories use content coding, we used a self-report method and hence provide a rationale for this method. One hundred five young adults identified life story chapters and rated them on self-event connections, including questions of positive or negative self-change and self-stability connections. They also completed scales measuring self-concept clarity, dissociation, and symptoms. Higher ratings of positive and lower ratings of negative self-event connections in life stories were related to fewer symptoms of psychopathology. Positive self-change was related to fewer symptoms when controlling for self-concept clarity and dissociation. The results suggest that positive and negative self-event connections are differentially related to symptoms of psychopathology. In addition, the results indicate that self-report measures of life stories may be a useful supplement to coding of narratives
%K self-event connections
%K self-concept clarity
%K dissociation
%K symptoms
%K self-report
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0276236617733839