A recent study published in the Journal of Research in Personality explores how people’s perceptions of their roles as major or minor characters in their life stories influence their psychological well-being. The researchers found that individuals who view themselves as major characters tend to have higher well-being and greater satisfaction of their basic psychological needs compared to those who see themselves as minor characters.
The study aimed to shed light on how autobiographical memories and narrative identities influence well-being. Previous research has shown that how people tell their life stories, including the emotions and themes they emphasize, can affect their mental health. This study, however, took a novel approach by asking participants to evaluate their role in their life stories, considering whether they see themselves as major characters driving their narrative or as minor characters observing from the background.
To examine this, the researchers conducted three studies involving undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university.
Study 1 involved 358 undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university, who participated in the study for course research credits. The average age of participants was 18.7 years, with the majority being female and Caucasian. Participants completed an online survey at two different time points, four weeks apart.
Participants were asked to rate themselves on three items designed to measure the degree to which they felt like a major or minor character in their life stories. These items used a 1 to 5 scale, with different terminologies such as “minor character” versus “major character,” “side character” versus “primary character,” and “background character” versus “lead character.” The three ratings were averaged to create a single major character score for each participant at each time point. Reliability estimates for this measure were high.
Additionally, the survey measured well-being, combining scores of positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction into a single well-being score. Need satisfaction was assessed using a six-item scale covering autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Self-esteem and narcissism were also measured using validated scales.
The researchers found that participants who perceived themselves as major characters in their life stories reported higher levels of well-being and greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). The longitudinal data revealed that feeling like a major character at the initial time point predicted higher well-being four weeks later, even when controlling for initial well-being levels.
Further analyses indicated that these effects were robust even when controlling for self-esteem and narcissism, suggesting that the major character construct contributes uniquely to well-being outcomes.
Study 2 involved 326 students, with a similar demographic profile as Study 1. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: recalling a time when they felt like a major character in their life story or a time when they felt like a minor character. Participants completed an initial survey, wrote about their assigned memory, and then completed the survey again.
The pre- and post-manipulation surveys included measures of need satisfaction and well-being. Need satisfaction was assessed using the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale, which includes items for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Well-being was measured as affect balance, calculated by subtracting negative affect scores from positive affect scores.
The results showed significant interaction effects between the condition (major vs. minor character) and the time of assessment (pre vs. post) on both need satisfaction and well-being. Participants who recalled times when they felt like major characters experienced significant increases in need satisfaction and well-being following the manipulation. In contrast, those who recalled times when they felt like minor characters showed significant decreases in these measures.
Study 3 included 298 undergraduate students. Participants first listed three current goals they were pursuing and rated their motivations for these goals. They then completed measures of need satisfaction, well-being, and major character perceptions. Finally, participants wrote a narrative describing themselves as characters in their life stories.
Goal motivations were assessed using an eight-item Perceived Locus of Causality (PLOC) measure, which included items for different types of motivational regulation, from external to intrinsic. Self-reported major character perceptions were measured using the same items as in Study 1. Narratives were coded for agency, defined as the degree to which individuals felt they could influence their lives and outcomes.
The researchers found that participants who viewed themselves as major characters were more likely to pursue goals that were personally meaningful and aligned with their values. These individuals showed higher levels of autonomous motivation (identified and intrinsic regulation) and lower levels of controlled motivation (external and introjected regulation).
Major character perceptions were positively associated with higher coded agency, and both major character perceptions and agency were significant predictors of need satisfaction and well-being. The final regression analysis showed that while both major character perceptions and agency initially predicted well-being, their effects were mediated by need satisfaction. This finding suggests that seeing oneself as a major character enhances well-being through the satisfaction of basic psychological needs.
“These results support our notion that the way in which an individual perceives themselves as a character in their life story is likely to impact their well-being. When people see themselves as being the agentic force in their lives and make decisions for themselves, as major characters do, rather than being swept about by external forces (and other people),
they are more integrated and fully functioning selves,” the researchers explained.
“Such individuals feel more autonomous, more competent and effective, and also experience better relational satisfaction with others, as evidenced by their increased basic psychological need satisfaction. Conversely, those who see themselves as minor characters are more likely to feel thwarted in getting these needs satisfied, a condition associated with diminished self-integration and wellbeing.”
But it is important to note that the samples consisted undergraduate students, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. The cultural context also plays a role; individualistic societies might emphasize the importance of being a major character more than collectivist cultures. Future research should explore these dynamics in more diverse and older populations.
“In conclusion, this research has identified a new meta-narrative construct that varies between individuals and has important implications for experiences of well-being,” the researchers wrote. “We hope this work represents a significant contribution to expanding approaches to narrative and autobiographical assessment, and suggest that this new perspective could be considered in future narrative identity research as a short supplemental measure, allowing narrative researchers to take into consideration the subjective viewpoint participants take on as they respond to narrative assessments.”
The study, “The autobiographical critic within: Perceiving oneself as a major character in one’s life story predicts well-being,” was authored by Ryan Goffredi and Kennon M. Sheldon.
