Using McAdams's Life Story Identity Theory to Examine Critical Features of Career Readiness

• In Event: 52.036 - Career Narratives to Understand Adolescent Career Identity Development: Exploratory Mixed-Methods Comparative Study Using Three Theories

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The third paper uses the same sample of 90 career narratives to examine career identity using McAdams’ theory of identity development and to compare the results to Marcia’s identity model results.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: McAdams Life-Story model focuses on how the individual is able to situate themselves within their past, present and future and the depth of self-awareness they possess about themselves including their skills, values, and purpose in life. The Life-Story model divides one’s identity into three layers of increasing complexity. The first layer, the social actor, refers to one’s ability to identify their interests, skills, values and the social roles they play not in a manner that connects these to specific goals and intentions. Motivated Agent is one who possesses the self-awareness associated with the actor but is able to demonstrate some level of self-regulation of these interests, skills, values and roles in a way that is connected to one’s aspirations and goals. Finally the narrative actor is one that links these two components of self-awareness and goal intentions in ways that demonstrate a coherent understanding of the self in relation to their past experiences and engagement in present projects and activities that support their future pursuits.

METHOD: A modified grounded theory strategy was used to classify the 90 career narratives into one of the three identity levels associated with the McAdams theory.

RESULTS: A total of 84 of the 90 were able to be classified with 24 classified as Social Actor, 33 classified as Motivated Agent and 27 classified as Narrative Author. Sample responses associated with each identity level is described in the figure below:

McAdams Identity Level Sample Responses
Social Actor: i.e. “I like numbers and an accountants deal with numbers and I am a good athlete for a professional athlete.”

Motivated Agent: i.e. “It is something I have had my heart set on for a while, I love taking care of people and people need to be taking care of. I’m the person who always wants to be there and help.”

Narrative Author: i.e. “Since I have worked in the dentist office I am around dental hygienists and I can really picture myself doing what they do. Sometimes I assist with them and I already have joy doing that so I'm sure I am suitable for this occupation!”

The cross-tabulations and correlation with Marcia’s career identity results are similar to Study 2 which indicates a moderate overlap indicating that the models are addressing both similar and unique identity characteristics (r =.388).

SCHOLARLY SIGNIFICANCE: Youth classified with Achieved career identities were more strongly associated with McAdams’ Narrative Author followed by Motivated agent identities, while Foreclosed and Moratorium were associated with the Social Actor identity patterns. This indicates some correspondence between Marcia and McAdams’ identity models.

Authors

• Taryn Hargrove Gore, Boston University

• Caroline vanBruinswaardt, Boston University

• Chonlada Jarukitisakul, Boston University