Dorthe Kirkegaard Thomsen
Biographic Data
| ID | 643197 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Dorthe Kirkegaard Thomsen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Dorthe Kirkegaard |
| FAMILY NAME | Thomsen |
| SIGNATURE | THOMSEN D K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Aarhus University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5161-6911 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 20 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Vicarious Narratives From Colleagues: Exploring Meaning‐Making, Themes, and Affective Sequences in Relation to the Psychosocial Work Environment
Guided by an ecological systems approach, we extend research on intergenerational and vicarious narratives to a vocational setting. We explored meaning‐making, themes, and affective sequences in vicarious work narratives and their associations with psychosocial work environment in 125 German secondary school teachers (46% female, mean years of work experience = 17.63). Participants narrated a personal and a colleague's work challenge and complete…
Narrative Work Identity and Resilience—Redemption Prospectively Predicts Teachers' Stress Resilience at Work
OBJECTIVES: Individuals create narratives about the vocational domain of their lives, which represent their identity at work and encompass their remembered past, lived present and imagined future work lives. Grounded in the literature on narrative identity, we examine whether individual differences in features of narrative work identity prospectively predict resilience at work as an important vocational outcome. METHOD: A sample of 125 teachers w…
Illness and narrative identity: Examining past and future life story chapters in individuals with bipolar disorder, diabetes mellitus or no chronic illness
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether narrative identity challenges are specific to Bipolar Disorder (BD) as a mental illness or a reflection of living with chronic illness. Nineteen individuals diagnosed with BD, 29 individuals diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and 25 controls without chronic mental or somatic illness identified past and future life story chapters which were self-rated on emotional tone and self-event…
Narrative identity in context: How adults in Japan, Denmark, Israel, and the United States narrate difficult life events
Integrating the selective reconstruction of the past with an imagined future, narrative identity is a person's internalized and evolving story of the self, functioning to provide life with some degree of meaning and purpose (McAdams & McLean, 2013). While narrative identity has been found to be associated with a range of psychological and social phenomena (e.g., Adler et al., 2015; McAdams & Guo, 2015), cross-national variation in narrative ident…
“My life disappeared in illness”: Bipolar disorder and themes in narrative identity
Bipolar Disorder (BD) has substantial consequences for the course of life and the formation of self and identity. In the present study, we extended the existing literature by examining narrative identity. Fifteen female outpatients with remitted BD and fifteen non-clinical control participants described past and future chapters in their life stories. The chapters were coded for agency, communion, redemption and contamination. Patients diagnosed w…
Introduction to the special issue on “Storying the good life: Pathways and pitfalls to adaptive narrative identity”
A tribute to Will Dunlop
When does a wedding mark the beginning of a new chapter in one’s life
Life story chapters may be formed in relation to substantial and enduring changes in material circumstances, and we explored this idea by capitalizing on naturally occurring variations in the change of material circumstances associated with marriage. In two studies, we asked participants to report whether they cohabitated before marriage and whether they relocated in connection with marriage, using these as proxies for material change. Participan…
Heart-followers, hero, maiden: Life story positioning within a romantic couple
In this case study, we conducted a qualitative narrative analysis of 4 written life stories coming from a multiethnic, married Danish couple in their twenties: 2 personal life stories and 2 life stories written about each other, vicarious life stories. We suggest, first, that in these narrations each person positioned their partner's important life experiences in ways that served that narrator's identity, while maintaining some degree of fidelity…
Storying endometriosis: Examining relationships between narrative identity, mental health, and pain
Vicarious life stories: Examining relations to personal life stories and well-being
We examined relationships between vicarious life stories for mothers and distant others, personal life stories, and well-being. Participants described chapters in their mothers’ and personal life stories, self-rated chapters on emotional tone and meaning, and completed well-being measures. In Studies 3 and 4, participants described chapters for distant others. In Study 4, mothers’ personal life stories were collected. In Studies 2–4, chapters wer…
Writing about life story chapters increases self‐esteem: Three experimental studies
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present three studies was to examine experimentally whether writing about life story chapters would increase self-esteem, self-concept clarity, and meaning. METHOD: In study 1, 179 participants rated state self-esteem and self-concept clarity before and after they described either four important life story chapters or four famous Americans. In study 2, 141 new participants completed a similar procedure to study 1 and…
Relationships among Personal Life Stories, Vicarious Life Stories about Mothers and Fathers, and Well-being
We examined whether vicarious life stories about mothers and fathers differed in their relationships with personal life stories and well-being. Seventy-six emerging adults completed scales measuring well-being and described three chapters in their personal, mothers’, and fathers’ life stories. Chapters were self-rated and content coded for emotional tone and positive/negative person change. Characteristics of personal life stories were positively…
One-year stability in life story chapters and memories among emerging, middle-aged, and older adults
We examined 1-year stability of life story chapters and memories. In addition, we examined age differences in stability. At baseline and 1 year later, 70 emerging, 60 middle-aged, and 59 older participants described up to 10 chapters and 10 memories (in counterbalanced order). Participants self-rated chapters/memories on emotional tone, self-change connections, and self-stability connections. Chapters/memories were content coded for stability bet…
I Know My Story and I Know Your Story: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Vicarious Life Stories
Vicarious life stories are mental representations of other people's life stories. We propose a conceptual framework that situates the study of vicarious life stories at the crossroads between personality and social cognition, identifies their potential functions, and describes possible connections between vicarious and personal life stories. Two preliminary studies compared chapters and specific memories in personal and close others' life stories…
Life story chapters and narrative self-continuity in patients with schizophrenia
A 3.5year diary study: Remembering and life story importance are predicted by different event characteristics
Forty-five participants described and rated two events each week during their first term at university. After 3.5 years, we examined whether event characteristics rated in the diary predicted remembering, reliving, and life story importance at the follow-up. In addition, we examined whether ratings of life story importance were consistent across a three year interval. Approximately 60% of events were remembered, but only 20% of these were conside…
Vicarious memories
People not only have vivid memories of their own personal experiences, but also vicarious memories of events that happened to other people. To compare the phenomenological and functional qualities of personal and vicarious memories, college students described a specific past event that they had recounted to a parent or friend, and also an event that a friend or parent had recounted to them. Although ratings of memory vividness, emotional intensit…
What characterizes life story memories? A diary study of Freshmen’s first term
We investigated whether memories are selected for the life story based on event characteristics. Sixty-one students completed weekly diaries over their first term at university. They described, dated and rated two events each week. Three months after the end of the term they completed an unexpected memory test. They recalled three memories from the diary period that were important to their life story. Three randomly selected events scoring low on…
An Interviewer's Guide to Autobiographical Memory: Ways to Elicit Concrete Experiences and to Avoid Pitfalls in Interpreting Them
Methodological recommendationsfor qualitative interviewing, that is, using semistructured conversations for research purposes, often suggest that interviewers ask respondents to describe concrete experiences. Concreteexperiences from the past, however, are autobiographical memories (specific memories), and as such the interviewer may benefit from having knowledge of research on specific memories. While descriptions of specific memories potentiall…
Memories and narratives about breast cancer: Exploring associations between turning points, distress and meaning
Turning points are considered to refer to emotional and important events. The present study compared turning point memories to other memories on several ratings and investigated the association between turning points, distress and meaning. Memories may act as organising units in extended narratives, hence the study also tested whether overlap between memories and extended illness narrative was associated with a more coherent narrative. Fifteen pa…
Negative Thoughts and Health: Associations Among Rumination, Immunity, and Health Care Utilization in a Young and Elderly Sample
Objective: In the present study, it was tested whether rumination—negative, recurrent thoughts—would be associated with immune parameters and health care utilization. Because rumination has been associated with sadness and subjective sleep quality, it was tested whether these factors mediated the possible effects of rumination. A young sample and an elderly sample were included to test for age differences in the association between rumination and…
Negative Thoughts and Health: Associations Among Rumination, Immunity, and Health Care Utilization in a Young and Elderly Sample
OBJECTIVE: In the present study, it was tested whether rumination-negative, recurrent thoughts-would be associated with immune parameters and health care utilization. Because rumination has been associated with sadness and subjective sleep quality, it was tested whether these factors mediated the possible effects of rumination. A young sample and an elderly sample were included to test for age differences in the association between rumination and…
An Interviewer's Guide to Autobiographical Memory: Ways to Elicit Concrete Experiences and to Avoid Pitfalls in Interpreting Them
Methodological recommendationsfor qualitative interviewing, that is, using semistructured conversations for research purposes, often suggest that interviewers ask respondents to describe concrete experiences. Concreteexperiences from the past, however, are autobiographical memories (specific memories), and as such the interviewer may benefit from having knowledge of research on specific memories. While descriptions of specific memories potentiall…
Memories and narratives about breast cancer: Exploring associations between turning points, distress and meaning
Turning points are considered to refer to emotional and important events. The present study compared turning point memories to other memories on several ratings and investigated the association between turning points, distress and meaning. Memories may act as organising units in extended narratives, hence the study also tested whether overlap between memories and extended illness narrative was associated with a more coherent narrative. Fifteen pa…
Narrative identity in context: How adults in Japan, Denmark, Israel, and the United States narrate difficult life events
Integrating the selective reconstruction of the past with an imagined future, narrative identity is a person's internalized and evolving story of the self, functioning to provide life with some degree of meaning and purpose (McAdams & McLean, 2013). While narrative identity has been found to be associated with a range of psychological and social phenomena (e.g., Adler et al., 2015; McAdams & Guo, 2015), cross-national variation in narrative ident…
One-year stability in life story chapters and memories among emerging, middle-aged, and older adults
We examined 1-year stability of life story chapters and memories. In addition, we examined age differences in stability. At baseline and 1 year later, 70 emerging, 60 middle-aged, and 59 older participants described up to 10 chapters and 10 memories (in counterbalanced order). Participants self-rated chapters/memories on emotional tone, self-change connections, and self-stability connections. Chapters/memories were content coded for stability bet…
Storying endometriosis: Examining relationships between narrative identity, mental health, and pain
Vicarious life stories: Examining relations to personal life stories and well-being
We examined relationships between vicarious life stories for mothers and distant others, personal life stories, and well-being. Participants described chapters in their mothers’ and personal life stories, self-rated chapters on emotional tone and meaning, and completed well-being measures. In Studies 3 and 4, participants described chapters for distant others. In Study 4, mothers’ personal life stories were collected. In Studies 2–4, chapters wer…
Negative Thoughts and Health: Associations Among Rumination, Immunity, and Health Care Utilization in a Young and Elderly Sample
Objective: In the present study, it was tested whether rumination—negative, recurrent thoughts—would be associated with immune parameters and health care utilization. Because rumination has been associated with sadness and subjective sleep quality, it was tested whether these factors mediated the possible effects of rumination. A young sample and an elderly sample were included to test for age differences in the association between rumination and…
Negative Thoughts and Health: Associations Among Rumination, Immunity, and Health Care Utilization in a Young and Elderly Sample
OBJECTIVE: In the present study, it was tested whether rumination-negative, recurrent thoughts-would be associated with immune parameters and health care utilization. Because rumination has been associated with sadness and subjective sleep quality, it was tested whether these factors mediated the possible effects of rumination. A young sample and an elderly sample were included to test for age differences in the association between rumination and…
Memories and narratives about breast cancer: Exploring associations between turning points, distress and meaning
Turning points are considered to refer to emotional and important events. The present study compared turning point memories to other memories on several ratings and investigated the association between turning points, distress and meaning. Memories may act as organising units in extended narratives, hence the study also tested whether overlap between memories and extended illness narrative was associated with a more coherent narrative. Fifteen pa…
An Interviewer's Guide to Autobiographical Memory: Ways to Elicit Concrete Experiences and to Avoid Pitfalls in Interpreting Them
Methodological recommendationsfor qualitative interviewing, that is, using semistructured conversations for research purposes, often suggest that interviewers ask respondents to describe concrete experiences. Concreteexperiences from the past, however, are autobiographical memories (specific memories), and as such the interviewer may benefit from having knowledge of research on specific memories. While descriptions of specific memories potentiall…
What characterizes life story memories? A diary study of Freshmen’s first term
We investigated whether memories are selected for the life story based on event characteristics. Sixty-one students completed weekly diaries over their first term at university. They described, dated and rated two events each week. Three months after the end of the term they completed an unexpected memory test. They recalled three memories from the diary period that were important to their life story. Three randomly selected events scoring low on…
A 3.5year diary study: Remembering and life story importance are predicted by different event characteristics
Forty-five participants described and rated two events each week during their first term at university. After 3.5 years, we examined whether event characteristics rated in the diary predicted remembering, reliving, and life story importance at the follow-up. In addition, we examined whether ratings of life story importance were consistent across a three year interval. Approximately 60% of events were remembered, but only 20% of these were conside…
Vicarious memories
People not only have vivid memories of their own personal experiences, but also vicarious memories of events that happened to other people. To compare the phenomenological and functional qualities of personal and vicarious memories, college students described a specific past event that they had recounted to a parent or friend, and also an event that a friend or parent had recounted to them. Although ratings of memory vividness, emotional intensit…
Life story chapters and narrative self-continuity in patients with schizophrenia
I Know My Story and I Know Your Story: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Vicarious Life Stories
Vicarious life stories are mental representations of other people's life stories. We propose a conceptual framework that situates the study of vicarious life stories at the crossroads between personality and social cognition, identifies their potential functions, and describes possible connections between vicarious and personal life stories. Two preliminary studies compared chapters and specific memories in personal and close others' life stories…
Writing about life story chapters increases self‐esteem: Three experimental studies
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present three studies was to examine experimentally whether writing about life story chapters would increase self-esteem, self-concept clarity, and meaning. METHOD: In study 1, 179 participants rated state self-esteem and self-concept clarity before and after they described either four important life story chapters or four famous Americans. In study 2, 141 new participants completed a similar procedure to study 1 and…
Relationships among Personal Life Stories, Vicarious Life Stories about Mothers and Fathers, and Well-being
We examined whether vicarious life stories about mothers and fathers differed in their relationships with personal life stories and well-being. Seventy-six emerging adults completed scales measuring well-being and described three chapters in their personal, mothers’, and fathers’ life stories. Chapters were self-rated and content coded for emotional tone and positive/negative person change. Characteristics of personal life stories were positively…
One-year stability in life story chapters and memories among emerging, middle-aged, and older adults
We examined 1-year stability of life story chapters and memories. In addition, we examined age differences in stability. At baseline and 1 year later, 70 emerging, 60 middle-aged, and 59 older participants described up to 10 chapters and 10 memories (in counterbalanced order). Participants self-rated chapters/memories on emotional tone, self-change connections, and self-stability connections. Chapters/memories were content coded for stability bet…
Vicarious life stories: Examining relations to personal life stories and well-being
We examined relationships between vicarious life stories for mothers and distant others, personal life stories, and well-being. Participants described chapters in their mothers’ and personal life stories, self-rated chapters on emotional tone and meaning, and completed well-being measures. In Studies 3 and 4, participants described chapters for distant others. In Study 4, mothers’ personal life stories were collected. In Studies 2–4, chapters wer…
When does a wedding mark the beginning of a new chapter in one’s life
Life story chapters may be formed in relation to substantial and enduring changes in material circumstances, and we explored this idea by capitalizing on naturally occurring variations in the change of material circumstances associated with marriage. In two studies, we asked participants to report whether they cohabitated before marriage and whether they relocated in connection with marriage, using these as proxies for material change. Participan…
Heart-followers, hero, maiden: Life story positioning within a romantic couple
In this case study, we conducted a qualitative narrative analysis of 4 written life stories coming from a multiethnic, married Danish couple in their twenties: 2 personal life stories and 2 life stories written about each other, vicarious life stories. We suggest, first, that in these narrations each person positioned their partner's important life experiences in ways that served that narrator's identity, while maintaining some degree of fidelity…
Storying endometriosis: Examining relationships between narrative identity, mental health, and pain
“My life disappeared in illness”: Bipolar disorder and themes in narrative identity
Bipolar Disorder (BD) has substantial consequences for the course of life and the formation of self and identity. In the present study, we extended the existing literature by examining narrative identity. Fifteen female outpatients with remitted BD and fifteen non-clinical control participants described past and future chapters in their life stories. The chapters were coded for agency, communion, redemption and contamination. Patients diagnosed w…
Introduction to the special issue on “Storying the good life: Pathways and pitfalls to adaptive narrative identity”
A tribute to Will Dunlop
Illness and narrative identity: Examining past and future life story chapters in individuals with bipolar disorder, diabetes mellitus or no chronic illness
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether narrative identity challenges are specific to Bipolar Disorder (BD) as a mental illness or a reflection of living with chronic illness. Nineteen individuals diagnosed with BD, 29 individuals diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and 25 controls without chronic mental or somatic illness identified past and future life story chapters which were self-rated on emotional tone and self-event…
Narrative identity in context: How adults in Japan, Denmark, Israel, and the United States narrate difficult life events
Integrating the selective reconstruction of the past with an imagined future, narrative identity is a person's internalized and evolving story of the self, functioning to provide life with some degree of meaning and purpose (McAdams & McLean, 2013). While narrative identity has been found to be associated with a range of psychological and social phenomena (e.g., Adler et al., 2015; McAdams & Guo, 2015), cross-national variation in narrative ident…
Narrative Work Identity and Resilience—Redemption Prospectively Predicts Teachers' Stress Resilience at Work
OBJECTIVES: Individuals create narratives about the vocational domain of their lives, which represent their identity at work and encompass their remembered past, lived present and imagined future work lives. Grounded in the literature on narrative identity, we examine whether individual differences in features of narrative work identity prospectively predict resilience at work as an important vocational outcome. METHOD: A sample of 125 teachers w…
Vicarious Narratives From Colleagues: Exploring Meaning‐Making, Themes, and Affective Sequences in Relation to the Psychosocial Work Environment
Guided by an ecological systems approach, we extend research on intergenerational and vicarious narratives to a vocational setting. We explored meaning‐making, themes, and affective sequences in vicarious work narratives and their associations with psychosocial work environment in 125 German secondary school teachers (46% female, mean years of work experience = 17.63). Participants narrated a personal and a colleague's work challenge and complete…
Psychology (21 works) · Identity, Memory, and Therapy (19 works) · Developmental psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Narrative (11 works) · Cognition (7 works) · Cognitive psychology (7 works) · Family Support in Illness (7 works) · Autobiographical memory (6 works) · Psychiatry (6 works)