ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Identity development: leaving room for a changing account of yourself
In his account of self and identity, psychologist Dan P. McAdams describes narrative identity as an evolving personal story connecting remembered experience with an imagined future. This is one theoretical perspective on identity development, not the only meaning of identity. [1]
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
The useful everyday question is: how is someone coming to understand who they are, rather than what description fits them today? Here, identity development names that process of forming and revising an account of oneself. It does not prescribe which identity someone should adopt, what milestones they should meet, or a deadline for certainty.
An old description meets a new interest
Imagine a teenager putting together a short introduction for a neighborhood exhibition. Their family has long introduced them as the musician. This year they want to show photographs of doors and stairways instead of performing a song.
The teen still enjoys music. They simply do not want one interest to stand for everything they are. Their first draft says they are interested in noticing overlooked details. A parent remembers earlier performances but asks whether the teen wants any of that history in this particular introduction.
This fictional scene does not establish a stage of development. The decision is smaller: which parts of a continuing life belong in the account being offered now? Keeping an earlier interest, revising its importance, and trying unfamiliar language are all available choices within the example.
Do not turn a story into a required destination
A family might be tempted to finish the story for someone: the quiet child becomes outgoing, the uncertain teen discovers a vocation, or the adult finds one label that explains everything. Those are possible story shapes, not Ready's requirements for a good life.
An adult changing how they introduce themselves after leaving a long-held role need not describe the earlier role as a mistake. A grandparent can tell a younger relative that their own priorities changed without predicting that the younger person's priorities will change in the same way. Someone may also prefer not to discuss identity at all during an ordinary family gathering.
An optional note for your own use
If useful, keep three unfinished sentences: “An old description I still recognize”; “Something I am reconsidering”; and “Something I do not want others to decide for me.” Leave any sentence blank. This is an original writing prompt, not McAdams's research procedure or an assessment.
Distinguish permission to hear a story from permission to retell it. A draft introduction shared with one relative need not become material for a family newsletter. The person can choose different amounts of detail for different audiences without owing everyone the whole account.
This page offers vocabulary for change and continuity. It does not evaluate maturity, interpret a diagnosis, or require a coherent explanation of every experience. A present self-description belongs under self-concept; the process of arriving at or revising it is the question here.
Sources
1. McAdams DP. Self and Identity. Noba textbook series: Psychology. DEF Publishers; publication/update date not verified (the page's generated citation displays 2026). Accessed September 6, 2026. Sections: The Autobiographical Author; glossary; author and licensing notes. Full module.
Related guides
Sources and what they support
These sources support the specific statements identified below. Our practical exercises are suggestions to consider, not evidence of a treatment effect.
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Self and Identity — DEF Publishers — Noba textbook series: Psychology
Source type: professional reference.
Accessed .
Source check, September 6, 2026: Scoped source check. Passage: The Autobiographical Author, especially narrative-identity definition and preceding Erikson context; conclusion, glossary and author/licensing notes. Limits: Source-specific narrative account only. No developmental ages, required stages, maturity hierarchy, causal story, psychotherapy, mental-health outcome or empirical effect is adopted. The draft uses broader identity development as an explicitly bounded everyday process, not an equivalence with all identity theories.
Supports: In his account of self and identity, psychologist Dan P. McAdams describes narrative identity as an evolving personal story connecting remembered experience with an imagined future. This is one theoretical perspective on identity development, not the only meaning of identity.
Correction check: Current module, cited-definition context and footer inspected; no correction notice found in that material. Original update history and the correction status of the module's cited research were not independently audited.
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