The redemptive self : stories Americans live by / Dan P. McAdams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McAdams, Dan P.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Self-perception--United States.

Self-perception.

Redemption--Psychology--Miscellanea.

Redemption.

Success--United States--Psychological aspects.

Success.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (394 p.)

Edition:

Revised and expanded edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

How do we as Americans define our identities? How do our stories represent who we are-our successes, our failures, our past, our future? Stories of redemption are some of the most powerful ways to express American identity and all that it can entail, from pain and anguish to joy and fulfillment. Psychologist Dan P. McAdams examines how these narratives, in which the hero is delivered from suffering to an enhanced status or state, represent a new psychology of American identity, and in turn, how they translate to understanding our own lives. In this revised and expanded edition of The Redemptiv

Contents:

Prologue how to be good in America

Redemption and the American soul

The generative adult

Life stories

How the story begins : the chosen people

My good inner self : from Emerson to Oprah

God bless America

Black (and white)

Contaminated plots, vicious circles

When redemption fails

Obama versus Bush : competing stories of redemption

Culture, narrative, and the self

Epilogue final thoughts and confessions

Notes

References

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-996977-9

0-19-996976-0

OCLC:

861559200