Measuring storyworld possible selves in depression stories

This study presents an experimental approach to storyworld possible selves (SPSs, Martínez, 2014), a construct that describes how individuals activate the temporal dimensions of their self-concept (past selves, present self, and possible selves) when engaging with narratives. This study analyzes how the content of a narrative influences the generation of SPSs by using depression stories as a case study. The core aims are to investigate whether the activation of SPSs is facilitated by (a) certain linguistic features in the text (SPS linguistic anchors), (b) personal relevance (measured by reader–character similarity), and (c) the narrative experience in terms of absorption (Kuijpers et al., 2014) and identification (Scapin et al., 2024). In a between-subjects design with four conditions (N = 235), participants were randomly assigned to read one of two stories. In addition to the original versions, the stories were manipulated either to decrease (in Perec’s A man asleep) or to increase (in Groff’s Boca Raton) the presence of SPS linguistic anchors. Results showed no significant relationships between the presence of SPS linguistic anchors and the readers’ activation of SPSs. Personal relevance predicted SPSs, and a positive relationship was found between SPSs, two facets of absorption (transportation and emotional engagement), and one facet of identification (affective empathy). Conversely, a negative relationship was observed with the remaining facets of absorption (mental imagery and attention). Path analyses investigated the directions of causality, with reader’s personal relevance facilitating the activation of SPSs, which, in turn, led to experiencing higher levels of transportation, emotional engagement, and affective empathy

Cognitive psychology · Linguistics · Narrative · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Mental Health via Writing · Psychology