Narrative and meaning-making thinking

A Venn diagram showing the relationship between self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem.

Narrative and meaning‑making thinking refers to the mind’s ability to organize experiences into coherent stories that provide identity, purpose, and direction. Narrative thinking shapes events into understandable sequences, while meaning‑making interprets those events in relation to one’s values, goals, and sense of self. Together, they form a core cognitive system that helps individuals understand their past, navigate the present, and choose future actions with clarity and intention.

Journal article

• Narrative Affordances: What Stories Can and Cannot Do, Academy of Management Annals, Vol. 19, No. 2

See also

• Self-concept
• Identity (psychology)
• Core self-evaluations
• Self-awareness
• Self-esteem
• Self-talk
• Positive thinking

External links

• Narrative and Meaning‑Making Thinking
• How to improve your narrative and meaning-making thinking to improve your life
• Making Meaning through Narrative Therapy by Shanna Harvey MA LAPC NCC RYT
• Narrate Your Way to a More Meaningful Life by Hal McDonald Ph.D.
• Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back, Psycbe