Autobiographical Narratives of South Korean Adults from 20s to 50s: Gender and Age Effect in the Relationships among Agency, Communion, and Adjustment
AUTHOR : 전성주, 장경원, 김근영
INFORMATION : page. 103~119 / 2023 Vol.30 No.1
ABSTRACT
The concepts of agency and communion have been historically key ingredients in peoples’ autobiographical narratives. Gender and age differences in agency and communion are well known, but whether these demographic differences are also related to psychological adjustment is an empirical question. Autobiographical stories about turning point episodes were obtained from 1,786 Korean adults(male: 51%) between the ages of 20 and 59. They also completed various mental health questionnaires. Results indicated that although it was generally true that females were more communion-oriented than males, having both agency and communion in their narratives were beneficial to mental health regardless of gender. Concerning age differences, communion rather than agency was important for the adjustment of middle-aged participants. The present findings implied that the optimal adjustment may be developmental-dependent, and communion may need particular attention in order to understand the well-being of middle-aged people.