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 DOI: 10.1348/000712608x396585 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who connect chance events and unchosen experiences into meaningful stories tend to hold paranormal beliefs, have mystical experiences, and be more absorbed in experiences. Those with an external locus of control, intrinsic religiosity, and higher well-being and life satisfaction also score higher on narrative emplotment. However, the effect of this meaning-making on psychological adjustment depends on individuals' coping strategies. Narrative emplotment mediates the link between religiosity and well-being, but it can negatively affect well-being through a chance locus of control. This type of meaning-making is important for understanding religious and spiritual beliefs and their impact on psychological adjustment.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 441 |
| Population | Adults from two samples (Study 1: N=99; Study 2: N=342) |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Narrative emplotment is positively correlated with paranormal beliefs, mystical experiences, absorption, external locus of control, intrinsic religiosity, well-being, and satisfaction with life, and its relationship with psychological adjustment is moderated by coping strategies. |
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.