The hard road to the good life: The happy, mature person

The purpose of this article is to examine how two aspects of the good life, happiness and maturity, are reflected in the stories that people tell abou t their lives. This article highlights the ways that ego development may ch ange the meaning and experience of happiness. When happy people tell storie s of life transition, they are more likely to use foreshadowing and happy e ndings. When mature people tell such stories, they tend to include mention of their active struggle with their life changes. The stories of happy, mat ure individuals are examined to illustrate how negative life experiences an d difficult times may be accommodated into the good life. You have ups and downs in life. You have storms to contend with. I just tha nk the Lord for all of his goodness and mercy.