“You Have to Make It on Your Own:” A Person‐Centered Narrative Analysis of Neoliberal Capitalist Values in Adolescent Identity Experiences

INTRODUCTION: Neoliberal capitalist ideals are omnipresent today and have important consequences for how adolescents develop an identity. However, we know little about the ways in which adolescents engage with these ideals and the neoliberal capitalist structures they are subjected to. Therefore, in this study we aim to investigate how adolescents construct their narrative identities within and throughout the socio-cultural framework of neoliberal capitalism. METHOD: To this end, we conducted a person-centered narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with four Flemish adolescents: Marie (16-year-old girl), Alex (16-year-old boy), Tim (14-year-old boy), and Jason (17-year-old boy). Our participants were purposefully selected out of a sample of 14. RESULTS: Most notable in the analysis of our study was the pattern of individual control the adolescents used, constructing their personal narratives in terms of being the master of themselves, their context, and their futures. The participants were the main characters ruling everything, while the people surrounding them remained diffuse side characters, little differentiated, usually reduced to one characteristic, trait, or flaw. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis argues for the consideration of this narrative pattern when conceptualizing adolescent development, wellbeing, and meaning making. Additionally, we highlight the central role parents play in the adolescents' engagements with the pattern of individual control.