Validation of the Narrative Emplotment Scale and its correlations with well-being and psychological adjustment.
Eric D Hill, Heather K Terrell, Steven Hladkyj, Craig T Nagoshi
British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953) November 1, 2009 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1348/000712608x396585 via PubMed
Summary
People vary in how much they see chance events and unplanned experiences as forming a meaningful story, a trait measured by the Narrative Emplotment Scale. Across two studies, this tendency was linked to paranormal beliefs, mystical experiences, religiosity, well-being, and life satisfaction. However, the effect on psychological adjustment depended on individual coping strategies. Seeing life as a meaningful narrative could both help and hurt well-being, depending on whether it was tied to a sense of personal control or to feeling that chance controls one's life.
Study at a glance
| Design | observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 441 |
| Population | adults |
| Key finding | Narrative emplotment is linked to religiosity, well-being, and adjustment, but its effect on well-being is moderated by coping strategies and mediated by chance locus of control. |
Abstract
Two studies examined correlates of the Narrative Emplotment Scale (NES), which measures the extent to which individuals perceive chance events and unchosen experiences as meaningfully connected. In Study 1 (N=99), the NES demonstrated adequate test-retest stability and good internal reliability. The scale was positively related to paranormal beliefs, mystical experiences, and absorption. In Study 2 (N=342), personality measures indicative of external locus of control, intrinsic religiosity, well-being, satisfaction with life, and a measure of frequency of coincidence experience were all positively correlated with narrative emplotment, providing further support for the construct validity of the scale. In terms of the question of whether meaning making is predictive of better or worse psychological adjustment, analyses indicated that the relationship between narrative emplotment and psychological adjustment was moderated by individual differences in coping strategies. Path analysis indicated that emplotment was a mediator of the pathway between religiosity and well-being. Emplotment had a negative effect on well-being through chance locus of control. These analyses suggest that this type of meaning-making is an important variable for understanding religious/spiritual beliefs and their influence on psychological adjustment.