U and I: Synthesizing Life Design and Self Narrative
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23726/cij.2024.1568Keywords:
Narrative, Theory U, Life DesignAbstract
This paper explores the construction of self-narratives through a synthesis of two frameworks: Designing Your Life (DYL) and Theory U. Using close reading methodology, it analyzes how these approaches inform personal and professional development. The study highlights three key dimensions: doing (prototyping life choices), believing (leveraging intuition), and empowering (considering broader impacts). While DYL emphasizes rapid experimentation in career design, Theory U focuses on systemic change through "presencing." The integration of these perspectives reveals that self-narratives are intricately linked with social systems and future generations. This synthesis advances the discourse on life design by encouraging researchers to consider the role of the Self in historical and future-oriented contexts and by prompting exploration of intuition and narrative co-creation in fields like education and organizational change. The paper concludes that conscious narrative shaping, informed by both action and reflection, is crucial for meaningful personal development in an interconnected world.
References
Alvesson, M., Lee Ashcraft, K., & Thomas, R. (2008). Identity matters: Reflections on the construction of identity scholarship in organization studies. Organization, 15(1), 5-28.
Anicich, E. M. (2022). Flexing and floundering in the on-demand economy: Narrative identity construction under algorithmic management. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 169, 104138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104138
Bamberg, M. (2006). Biographic-narrative research, quo vadis? A critical review of ‘big stories’ from the perspective of ‘small stories.’
Bamberg, M., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2008). Small stories as a new perspective in narrative and identity analysis.
Bean, J. C., & Melzer, D. (2021). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. John Wiley & Sons.
Benwell, B., & Stokoe, E. (2011). Discourse and Identity. Discourse and Identity, 1–314. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780748626533
Brummett, B. (2018). Techniques of Close Reading. SAGE Publications.
Burnett, B., & Evans, D. (2016). Designing your life: How to build a well-lived, joyful life. Knopf.
Chen, S. (2019). Authenticity in Context: Being True to Working Selves. Review of General Psychology, 23(1): 60–72. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000160
Down, S. (2006). Narratives of enterprise: Crafting entrepreneurial self-identity in a small firm. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Duarte, M. E. (2009). The psychology of life construction. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(3): 259–266.
Duarte, M. E., & Cardoso, P. (2018). Life Design and Career Counseling: Contributions to Social Justice. In V. Cohen-Scali, J. Pouyaud, M. Podgórny, V. Drabik-Podgórna, G. Aisenson, J. L. Bernaud, I. Abdou Moumoula, & J. Guichard (Eds.), Interventions in Career Design and Education: Transformation for Sustainable Development and Decent Work (pp. 215–229). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91968-3_12
Freeman, M. (2006). Life “on holiday”?: In defense of big stories. Narrative Inquiry, 16(1), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.16.1.17fre
Greenham, D. (2018). Close reading: The basics. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780 203709979/close-reading-basics-david-greenham
Gunz, H., Lazarova, M., & Mayrhofer, W. (2020). The Routledge companion to career studies. Routledge Abingdon. https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/books/mono/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9781315674704&type=googlepdf
Habermas, T., & Köber, C. (2015). Autobiographical reasoning is constitutive for narrative identity: The role of the life story for personal continuity. The Oxford Handbook of Identity Development, 149–165.
Hanh, T. N. (2020). How to connect (Vol. 8). Parallax Press.
Ibarra, H., & Barbulescu, R. (2010). Identity As Narrative: Prevalence, Effectiveness, and Consequences of Narrative Identity Work in Macro Work Role Transitions. Academy of Management Review, 35(1): 135–154. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.35.1.zok135
Lal, S., Suto, M., & Ungar, M. (2012). Examining the Potential of Combining the Methods of Grounded Theory and Narrative Inquiry: A Comparative Analysis. Qualitative Report, 17, 41.
Lemmetty, S. (2024). Explaining the innovation dichotomy: The contexts, contents, conflicts, and compromises of innovation stories. Frontiers of Narrative Studies, 10(1): 126–149. https://doi.org/10.1515/fns-2024-2007
Loseke, D. R. (2007). The Study of Identity As Cultural, Institutional, Organizational, and Personal Narratives: Theoretical and Empirical Integrations. The Sociological Quarterly, 48(4): 661–688. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.2007.00096.x
Maitlis, S. (2022). Rupture and reclamation in the life story: The role of early relationships in self-narratives following a forced career transition. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 169, 104115.
Maree, K. (2017). The Psychology of Career Adaptability, Career Resilience, and Employability: A Broad Overview. In K. Maree (Ed.), Psychology of Career Adaptability, Employability and Resilience (pp. 3–11). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66954-0_1
Maté, G., & Maté, D. (2022). The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture. Penguin Random House.
McAdams, D. P., & Cox, K. S. (2010). Self and Identity across the Life Span. In R. M. Lerner, M. E. Lamb, & A. M. Freund (Eds.), The Handbook of Life‐Span Development (1st ed.). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470880166.hlsd002006
McLeod, J. (1996). The emerging narrative approach to counselling and psychotherapy. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 24(2): 173–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069889608260407
Petintseva, O. (2023). Language Matters: Doing Systematic (Critical) Discourse Analysis. In R. Faria & M. Dodge (Eds.), Qualitative Research in Criminology (pp. 199–210). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18401-7_12
Savickas, M. L. (1997). Career Adaptability: An Integrative Construct for Life-Span, Life-Space Theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 45(3): 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.1997.tb00469.x
Savickas, M. L., Nota, L., Rossier, J., Dauwalder, J.-P., Duarte, M. E., Guichard, J., Soresi, S., Van Esbroeck, R., & van Vianen, A. E. M. (2009). Life designing: A paradigm for career construction in the 21st century. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(3): 239–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.04.004
Scharmer, C. O. (2016). Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Seligman, M. E. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster.
Smagorinsky, P. (2008). The Method Section as Conceptual Epicenter in Constructing Social Science Research Reports. Written Communication, 25(3): 389–411. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088308317815
Super, D. E. (1984). Career & life development. Career Choice and Development. https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1570854176376185984
Sveningsson, S., & Alvesson, M. (2003). Managing Managerial Identities: Organizational Fragmentation, Discourse and Identity Struggle. Human Relations, 56(10): 1163–1193. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267035610001
Wu, S.-C. (2014). Anthropocentric Obsession: The Perfuming Effects of vāsanā (Habit-energy) in ālayavijñāna in the Lan˙kāvatāra Sūtra. Contemporary Buddhism, 15(2): 416–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2014.932500
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Gian-Louis Hernandez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
