Today’s guest, Dr. Jonathan Adler, is an internationally recognized scholar in the study of personal narrative and its relationship with well-being. Jonathan is a professor of psychology at Olin College of Engineering, a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and a theater director and playwright. His work brings together the rigor of science with the wonder and mystery of art, to show how writing a narrative and then living into that narrative can shift the future for the better.
Jonathan and Chris discuss:
- What the science tells us about how storytelling and narratives work
- Why humans tell stories, and the role storytelling can play in transforming leaders and organizations
- Why redemptive narratives, such as the American narrative about beating cancer, can be transformative—but why these same narratives can also do harm
- How leaders can use storytelling to navigate narrative conflicts and create alignment around a shared vision of the future
And much more!
ABOUT JONATHAN
Jonathan Adler is a professor of psychology at Olin College of Engineering. He is also a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Medical School, where he teaches advanced medical students about attending to patients’ stories. He serves as chief academic officer of Health Story Collaborative, a nonprofit organization aimed at elevating the power of storytelling in the medical ecosystem, as well as the editor of Personality and Social Psychology Review.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- “Hidden Brain.” Healing 2.0: Change Your Story, Change Your Life
- The Psychology of What Makes a Good Story” by Maria Popova (The Marginalian)
- “Amazon, Customer Obsession & the Stories That Aren’t in the Data w/ Pete Sauerborn” (TSF Podcast Season 1: Episode 9)
- The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By by Dan P. McAdams
