This study examines the ways in which emerging adults in the United States narratively constructed identities in relation to their conceptions of the good life. What does it mean to be a good person? Am I living a good life? How can I lead a better life? All of these variations of the Who-am-I question––in relation to Who-I-should-be and Who-I-want-to-be––were investigated in this qualitative study. In-depth, life-story interviews (N = 24) were conducted with individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 across the U.S. The findings of a discursive thematic analysis indicate that emerging adults highly value subjectivity, independence, and interdependence when considering what makes a person and a life good. More than any one particular belief system, emerging adults expressed the values of individualism, idiosyncrasy, pluralism, and relativism when considering the features of a good life. They placed particular importance on deciding these beliefs on their own, and that there is not one answer to the question of what makes a life good. Results indicate that these values are fundamental to the master narrative of emerging adulthood in the U.S.

中文翻译：

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什么是美好生活？美国新兴成年人道德与价值观研究的主要叙事方法

这项研究探讨了美国新兴成年人如何通过叙事方式来建构有关其美好生活观念的身份。做一个好人意味着什么？我过着美好的生活吗？我如何过上更好的生活？在本定性研究中，研究了“我是谁”问题的所有这些变体（与“我应该成为谁”和“我想成为谁”有关）。深入的生活故事访谈（N （= 24）是在美国对18至29岁之间的人进行的。主题分析的结果表明，新兴成年人在考虑使人和生活变得美好时高度重视主观性，独立性和相互依赖性。在考虑美好生活的特征时，新兴成年人比任何一种特定的信仰体系都更表达了个人主义，特质主义，多元主义和相对主义的价值。他们特别重视自己决定这些信念，而且对于使生活变得美好的问题没有一个答案。结果表明，这些价值观对于美国新兴成年的主要叙述至关重要