Validation of the Narrative Emplotment Scale and its correlations with well-being and psychological adjustment

• Published in: The British journal of psychology Vol. 100; no. 4; pp. 675 - 698
• Main Authors: Hill, Eric D., Terrell, Heather K., Hladkyj, Steven, Nagoshi, Craig T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2009; British Psychological Society
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adjustment; Association; Belief & doubt; Biological and medical sciences; Comprehension; Coping strategies; Correlation analysis; Culture; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Individuality; Internal-External Control; Locus of control; Male; Mental health; Mysticism; Narration; Narratives; Parapsychology; Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Personality. Affectivity; Psychological effects; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychometrics; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Quality of Life - psychology; Religiosity; Religious beliefs; Reproducibility of Results; Sociological analysis; Spirituality; Studies; Survival strategy; Validation studies; Well-being; Wellbeing; Young Adult; Human; Locus of control; Satisfaction; Religion; Psychometrics; Personality; Test reliability; Paranormal; Social cognition; Test validation; Language; Psychological adjustment; Coping; Psychological well-being; Life style
• ISSN: 0007-1269; 2044-8295
• DOI: 10.1348/000712608X396585

Two studies examined correlates of the Narrative Emplotment Scale (NES), which measures the extent to which individuals perceive chance events and unchosen experiences as meaningfully connected. In Study 1 (N=99), the NES demonstrated adequate test–retest stability and good internal reliability. The scale was positively related to paranormal beliefs, mystical experiences, and absorption. In Study 2 (N=342), personality measures indicative of external locus of control, intrinsic religiosity, well‐being, satisfaction with life, and a measure of frequency of coincidence experience were all positively correlated with narrative emplotment, providing further support for the construct validity of the scale. In terms of the question of whether meaning making is predictive of better or worse psychological adjustment, analyses indicated that the relationship between narrative emplotment and psychological adjustment was moderated by individual differences in coping strategies. Path analysis indicated that emplotment was a mediator of the pathway between religiosity and well‐being. Emplotment had a negative effect on well‐being through chance locus of control. These analyses suggest that this type of meaning‐making is an important variable for understanding religious/spiritual beliefs and their influence on psychological adjustment.