A coherent story to tell

I've been thinking about how we make sense of our own lives through storytelling since I read the May 22 NYT article by Benedict Carey, "This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It)" - which describes the work of narrative psychologists and explores the significance of "the life story that people themselves tell about who they are, and why."

Carey summarizes that studies by psychology researchers like Dan C. McAdams, author of The Redemptive Self, show:

"...strong correlations between the content of people’s current lives and the stories they tell... Those with mood problems have many good memories, but these scenes are usually tainted by some dark detail... A note of disappointment seems to close each narrative phrase. By contrast, so-called generative adults — those who score highly on tests measuring civic-mindedness, and who are likely to be energetic and involved — tend to see many of the events in their life in the reverse order, as linked by themes of redemption."

The article goes on to talk about personal life stories revealing the differences between study participants who attribute the troubling aspects of their lives to their own specific personalities, rather than to the events and/or environments around them - and the ones who consider those negative things external or separate from themselves, as things to be conquered/eliminated/risen above...