Py Liv Eriksson

Identity is a central aspect of personality (McAdams and Pals 2006; Syed 2017), which continues to develop throughout the lifespan (Erikson 1968). Solidifying a sense of identity has been suggested as a key developmental aspect of established adulthood (around ages 30–45; Reifman and Niehuis 2022), a phase of life defined by increased stability, responsibility, and demands in the areas of work and family (Mehta et al. 2020).

ABSTRACT This study examined narrative identity development in 503 personal stories written by youth in secure care in Sweden. Its results showed variations in story content, with the dominant themes involving secure care and the youths’ own destructive behavior. Positive, negative, neutral/vague, and combined emotional sequences (i.e. framing of experiences) were all represented. A hopeful sequence was the most common, and a redemptive sequence the least common.

1 INTRODUCTION “Shift in the narrative would occur – the past never a fixed and dormant landscape but one that is re-seen. Whether we want to or not, we are traveling in a spiral, we are creating something new from what is gone.” (Vuong, 2019, p. 28). The quote above illustrates the idea that the way we narrate past experiences can change over the life course.