Stability or Narration: The Role of Analytic-Holistic Thinking in Achieving Self-continuity

Research has documented evidence of the positivity and desirability of self-continuity. A sense of self-continuity can be achieved by holding an identity that is stable, construing one’s life as a story, and making an associative link to the past. However, the current literature on self-continuity has not yet shown which strategy is more effective to some people than other. In the proposed research, we attempt to test whether people with different thinking styles (analytic-holistic reasoning) take divergent route to achieve a sense of self-continuity. Specifically, we hypothesize that analytic thinkers would take an essentialist strategy to achieve self-continuity, focusing on the stable attributes that persists over time. In contrast, holistic thinkers would take a narrative strategy to achieve self-continuity by making sense of inevitable changes over time, connect different experiences, and building meaning and coherence of the selfhood.

Faculty Supervisor:

Li-Jun Ji

Student:

Partner:

University of Southampton

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Queen's University

Program: