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A Good Story: Using Future Life Narratives to Predict Present Well-Being

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  • Eric Hill
  • Heather Terrell
  • Andrea Arellano
  • Blake Schuetz
  • Craig Nagoshi

Abstract

The present research examined the predictive and nomological validity of a narrative method for assessing goals. College students (N = 337, 158 women, M age = 19.08) from a large, public university wrote short narratives about their best possible selves in the future, imagining that they had realized all of their life dreams. Narratives were coded in terms of the number of statements reflecting each of fourteen types of goals. Intercoder reliability was strong. With regard to predictive validity, intrinsic goals, particularly spiritual and intimacy goals were positively related to well-being. Extrinsic goals, power goals in particular, tended to be negatively related to well-being. With regard to nomological validity, the spiritual goals-well-being relationship was mediated by frequency of religious service attendance and self-report measures of religiosity. Interestingly, intrinsic goals were negatively related to life satisfaction. Results are discussed in the context of self-determination theory and the internalization of extrinsic motivations. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Eric Hill & Heather Terrell & Andrea Arellano & Blake Schuetz & Craig Nagoshi, 2015. "A Good Story: Using Future Life Narratives to Predict Present Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(6), pages 1615-1634, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:16:y:2015:i:6:p:1615-1634
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-014-9581-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Emmons & Chi Cheung & Keivan Tehrani, 1998. "Assessing Spirituality Through Personal Goals: Implications for Research on Religion and Subjective Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 391-422, November.
    2. Dirk Dierendonck, 2012. "Spirituality as an Essential Determinant for the Good Life, its Importance Relative to Self-Determinant Psychological Needs," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 685-700, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alba Carrillo & Marian Martínez-Sanchis & Ernestina Etchemendy & Rosa M Baños, 2019. "Qualitative analysis of the Best Possible Self intervention: Underlying mechanisms that influence its efficacy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, May.

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