Cercetări de personologie asupra identității

Dan P. McAdams asks how life stories shape who we are. He argues that this starts in the late teens. We shape these stories with and without knowing we do so. They help us make sense of past events. They give life purpose and help us plan ahead.

The book studies the whole person and what shapes their traits. McAdams asks how science can find shared patterns. How can it do so and still show each person's unique traits? He calls his approach personology. It draws on Erik Erikson and Henry Murray.

Life stories link the past, the present, and the future. Our beliefs and values set the scene for these tales. Ideal forms of the self act as characters. McAdams calls these imagoes. High points, low points, and turning points hold the plot together. Some stories make sense as a whole. Others lack order or lead to dead ends. Plans for future chapters often focus on generativity. This means care for those who will come after us.

McAdams teaches psychology at Northwestern University. He studies how life stories shape our sense of self. He has written many books and papers on personality psychology. This field studies the traits that make us who we are.

Ioana Brigle translated this edition from English. Its original title is Power, Intimacy, and the Life Story: Personological Inquiries into Identity. It forms part of the Psihologie si psihoterapie series.