Broadening our understanding of adversarial growth: The contribution of narrative methods

•Unique expressions of adversarial growth were identified in individuals’ narratives of challenging life experiences.•Adversarial growth coded from narratives correlated positively with widely used questionnaires of adversarial growth.•Narrative growth did not predict incremental validity in well-being outcomes compared to standard questionnaires. After adversity, individuals sometimes report adversarial growth - positive changes in their identity, relationships, and worldviews. We examined how narrative methods enhanced understanding of adversarial growth compared to standard questionnaires. Participants (N = 411) from college and community samples reported on their well-being, wrote a narrative about a highly challenging experience, and answered questionnaires on adversarial growth. Results showed that adversarial growth coded in narratives was positively associated with widely used self-report questionnaires of adversarial growth. Unexpectedly, narrative growth did not predict incremental validity in well-being outcomes compared to standard questionnaires. We found unique expressions of adversarial growth in a qualitative analysis of the narratives. We discuss the added value of using narratives for the assessment of adversarial growth.