Document Type

Honors Paper

Advisor

Jefferson Singer

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are critical periods for identity development, during which music often serves as a powerful tool for emotional expression, social connection, and autobiographical meaning-making. This study investigates the role of music-related self-defining memories (SDMs) in shaping and reflecting narrative identity and explores whether these processes differ between individuals with varying levels of musical engagement. Twenty undergraduate students (10 music majors, 10 non-music majors) from a liberal arts college participated in semi-structured interviews about a music-related SDM from adolescence. Participants completed the Centrality of Event Scale (CES) and Likert ratings of memory valence and importance. Thematic analysis revealed key differences: music majors were significantly more likely to frame their music memories as identity-shaping, emotionally transformative, and tied to personal or artistic growth. Non-music majors often emphasized nostalgia, relational context, or music as background rather than a central agent of change. Quantitative analysis supported these findings, showing stronger correlations among emotional valence, CES scores, and narrative length for music majors. These results suggest that the developmental impact of music-related memories may be heightened by formal musical engagement, providing new insight into how music functions as a scaffold for self-understanding in formative years.

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.