The Stories We Live By: Personal Myths and the Making of the Self [Paperback]

Who am I? How do I fit in the world around me? This revealing and innovative book demonstrates that each of us discovers what is true and meaningful, in our lives and in ourselves, through the creation of personal myths. Challenging the traditional view that our personalities are formed by fixed, unchanging characteristics, or by predictable stages through which every individual travels,The Stories We Live Bypersuasively argues that wearethe stories we tell. Informed by extensive scientific research--yet highly readable, engaging, and accessible--the book explores how understanding and revising our personal stories can open up new possibilities for our lives.

There's a quiet revolution taking place within psychology and at its forefront is a young personologist named Dan McAdams. To understand ourselves, he says, you have to go beyond 'objective' data to the myths we create about our lives. Here at last is a book that will introduce you to the revolution, and here is a social scientist--a storyteller, too--who will guide you through the intricacies of your own myths. You'll welcome the chance to spend some time with him. --John Kotre, PhD, Coauthor ofSeasons of Life, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan

McAdams looks beyond the narrow confines of academic psychology and sheds light on the mysteries of the life cycle. He calls to his aid the contemporary scientific visionaries Erikson, Jaques, and Levinson, and shows how the life stories we create and revise can lead to genuine self-discovery. --Peter M. Newton, PhD, Professor of Psychology, The Wright Institute, Berkeley, California

This wonderful and readable account of the ways in which we use stories across the life cycle and through history provides important new insights into the ways in which we maintain our identity. A compassionate and informed discussion of life-story and life-history, the book will have wide appeal to both students l³&