Narrative identity development in adolescents and young adults: a scoping review

Objective: Adolescence is a vulnerable phase of life, especially in relation to the development of personal identity. Researchers and clinicians must pay close attention to how the perception of time, the organization of events and information into a coherent narrative, and the development of self-representations unfold during this period of life. Aim of the present review is to summarize the research evidence about narrative identity development in healthy adolescents and discuss this in the framework of contemporary socio-cultural changes. Method: Conducted as a scoping review following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a literature search was performed in PubMed without predefined restrictions. Eligibility criteria included original human studies in English, involving non-clinical participants aged 11–22 years. Twenty-six studies met inclusion criteria and were analyzed regarding narrative coherence, narrative self-awareness, and developmental trajectories. Results: Among the included studies we identified two main areas of investigation, that are narrative coherence and narrative self-awareness. Studies about narrative coherence generally show an age-related increase. Narrative self-awareness development was found to be related to the influence of the environment and to psychological well-being from adolescents to adulthood. Conclusions: Anomalies of narrative identity have been studied in psychopathological contexts but are understudied in healthy adolescents. Given that narrative identity development is influenced by the environment, and in light of rapid socio-cultural changes (e.g., digitalization and episodic temporal modes), more research is needed to explore how contemporary conditions affect identity construction in adolescents. The findings highlight developmental patterns in narrative identity that reflect both maturational processes and socio-cultural influences. Refining our understanding of these dynamics can guide future longitudinal studies and inform identity-focused interventions in adolescent mental health.