DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

assertiveness, for to act in accordance with one’s own inner conception of self brings
a feeling of empowerment and a sense of being self-determined (Shea, 2003). Some
theorists suggest that the self is inherently relational and interpersonally defined (e.g.
Hermans and Kempen, 1983) but the results from this thesis suggest that such an
interdependent self is a developmental achievement rather than a necessary state of
selfhood, and can be severely hampered by the persona, which increases selfalienation
and a sense of isolation from others.
The post-crisis self further reflects two descriptions of the mature self that
were contrasted in Chapter 2. The developed self in Rogers’ (1961) theory is a
dynamic and open process, open to continual changes and to unfolding shifts in
direction. On the other hand, for White (1975) the mature self is stable, secure,
centred and has a solid role and place in society. Dickstein (1977) suggested that
both kinds of mature self are valid developmental outcomes of self-discovery,
and the adaptive value of each depends on the context in which it occurs. The
current findings back up Dickstein’s compromise position, suggesting that both
may be possible in combination. The self described post-crisis is clearly more
dynamic and more open to exploring potentials within itself, yet at the same time,
resolution of the crisis is found in re-securing some kind of vocational role and/or
relationship that offers solidity and embeddedness alongside this new openness
and dynamism.
10.3 Early Adult Crisis and Narrative: Reflections
A person’s life story was described in Chapter 2 as being formed of a coherent
combination of ‘nuclear episodes’ (McAdams, 1993). Nuclear episodes start with a
steady state, which is then breached leading to instability, and is followed by a
sequence of actions to bring a new steady state about. In line with this, the crisis
narratives started with a stable but problematic state (phase 1), then moved to
instability (phase 2), then to new actions to sort the instability out (phase 3), then
finishing and resolving with a new steady state (phase 4). This would suggest that the
episodes are structured in a classic narrative sequence. This then presents a question -
if the crises were narratively structured, is the phase pattern of crisis in fact an
imposed narrative sequence, rather than an actually lived sequence? The answer I
propose is both, for one does not preclude the other. The philosophy of narrative that
this thesis abides by is similar to that of Ricoeur (1985), Booker (2004) and MacIntyre
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