ObjectiveThe evolving life story is integral to personality, and motivational themes are central features of the life story. Personality implies individual differences that are relatively stable over time, but still allow for developmental processes. This study explored both long‐term stability and developmental change in thematic content of the life story.MethodFulfilled and unfulfilled agency and communion were studied in brief entire life narratives across 4 measurements in 12 years in a cohort‐sequential design including six cohorts (n = 172; age 8–77).ResultsFulfilled agency and communion, as well as unfulfilled agency exhibited moderate rank order stability over 4 and 8 years, fulfilled communion showed even a modest 12‐year stability, whereas unfulfilled communion displayed an unsystematic pattern. Developmentally, multilevel analyses revealed an inverted U‐shaped association between age and both fulfilled and unfulfilled agency, peaking in mid‐life. Fulfilled communion declined after emerging adulthood, but unexpectedly did not increase again in old age. Unfulfilled communion showed no systematic age trends. Girls and women told life narratives with more fulfilled and unfulfilled communion, whereas genders did not differ in either kind of agency.ConclusionThe content of the life story exhibits rank‐order stability over time and systematic mean‐level development across the life span.

中文翻译：

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选择权和共融 简短的一生叙述


目的不断发展的人生故事是人格不可或缺的一部分，激励主题是人生故事的核心特征。性格意味着个体差异随着时间的推移相对稳定，但仍允许发展过程。本研究探讨了生活故事主题内容的长期稳定性和发展变化。方法在包括 6 个队列 （n = 172;年龄 8-77） 的队列顺序设计中，在 12 年的 4 次测量中以简短的整个生活叙述方式研究已实现和未实现的代理和共融。结果已完成的代理和圣餐，以及未完成的代理在 4 年和 8 年中表现出中等等级的顺序稳定性，已完成的圣餐甚至显示出适度的 12 年稳定性，而未完成的圣餐表现出非系统的模式。在发育方面，多层次分析揭示了年龄与满足和未实现的能动性之间存在倒 U 形关联，在中年达到顶峰。满足的圣餐在成年后下降，但出乎意料的是，在老年时没有再次增加。未完成的圣餐没有显示出系统的年龄趋势。女孩和妇女以更充实和未完成的共融来讲述生活叙事，而性别在这两种能动性上都没有差异。结论生命故事的内容随时间表现出等级顺序稳定性，并在整个生命周期中表现出系统的平均水平发展。