Identifying the turning points that shaped you
Single out the three to five moments where your trajectory genuinely changed — and examine what you made of them.
Why it works
Narrative identity research shows that the turning-point stories people tell — called "redemption" or "contamination" sequences by McAdams — are among the strongest predictors of psychological wellbeing. Redemption sequences (bad to good: "that failure changed me for the better") predict resilience and generativity; contamination sequences (good to bad) predict depression. Deliberately examining and potentially reframing a turning-point story is how narrative therapy produces change.
How to do it
- From your life line, circle three to five moments where you can say: "I was different after this."
- For each, write the story in 3–4 sentences: what happened, what you made of it, how it changed you.
- Notice the narrative arc: does the story end in growth ("this made me stronger") or contamination ("this set me back")?
- For any contamination narrative, ask: "Is there evidence this experience also gave me something — skill, understanding, a re-evaluation?"
Evidence
McAdams’s narrative identity research found that adults who tell more redemptive turning-point stories report higher levels of psychological wellbeing, generativity, and life meaning. (observational)
Correlational research; narrative reframing in a therapeutic context shows causal potential, but whether unaided self-reflection produces the same effects is less clear.
Sources
- McAdams, Diamond, de St. Aubin & Mansfield (1997), stories of commitment, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology About this work
- McAdams, D. P., Diamond, A., de St. Aubin, E., & Mansfield, E. (1997). Stories of commitment: The psychosocial construction of generative lives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(3), 678-694. About this work
Common mistake
Identifying only the obviously dramatic events as turning points and missing the quiet decisions — a conversation, a book, a moment of recognition — that redirected more than any visible crisis did.
Practice this with IX Coach
More practices for The Life Line Exercise
- Draw the life line
Draw a horizontal timeline and mark the key high points, low points, and turning points of your life.
- Peak experience analysis
Study your life-line high points for the values and conditions they share — they reveal what fully alive looks like for you.
- Low-point reappraisal
Return to the valleys on your life line and examine what they gave you — without minimizing what they cost.
- Narrative theme extraction
Read your life line story as a whole and name the recurring theme — the sentence your life has been living out.
- Chapter titles — giving each life phase a name
Divide your life line into phases and give each a chapter title that captures its essential quality.
- The future life line
Extend your timeline forward and sketch the peaks and turning points you want to create — then work backward to today.
Related concepts
- Narrative Identity, Made Practical
Using your life story as a tool for self-understanding and purposeful change
- Narrative Therapy: Rewriting the Stories That Define You
Separating identity from problem, finding exceptions, and authoring a new story
- Self-Distancing: Thinking Clearly About Your Own Problems
Solomon’s paradox, third-person self-talk, and the science of stepping back
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