FAQ
Answers to the questions people actually ask — about the assessment, the science, the AI, the types, and what you're paying for.
The assessment
How long does it take?
The brief assessment has 5 questions and takes about 5–10 minutes. The full assessment has 12 questions and takes 15–25 minutes, depending on how much you write. There's no timer. Take as long as you need — the quality of your answers matters more than their length.
What kinds of questions will I be asked?
Open-ended questions about your life: a key decision, a turning point, a difficult experience, a person who shaped you. No multiple choice, no scales, no checkboxes. You write in your own words, about your own life. There are no right or wrong answers — the analysis is based on how you tell your story, not what happened in it.
What's the difference between the brief and full assessment?
The brief version captures the core dimensions of your narrative: how you handle agency, connection, and the direction of your story arcs. It's enough for a meaningful profile.
The full version adds questions that surface meaning-making, temporal organization, values, and how you process difficult experiences. More questions means more data points, which means higher confidence in the analysis and a significantly more detailed report. If the brief version is a sketch, the full version is a portrait.
Can I take it more than once?
Yes. Your narrative pattern is a snapshot, not a permanent classification — it reflects how you tell your story right now. Retaking the assessment after significant life changes, periods of therapy, or even just a few months can show how your narrative is evolving. Some people find the comparison between results more valuable than any single result.
Does it matter how much I write?
Somewhat. Very short answers (a sentence or two) give the system less to work with. You don't need to write an essay — a solid paragraph per question is usually plenty. The key is to be specific and honest rather than long and vague.
The science
Is this scientifically validated?
The constructs we measure — agency, communion, redemption, contamination, coherence, meaning-making — are drawn from peer-reviewed narrative psychology research spanning three decades. The correlations between these constructs and wellbeing outcomes are among the most replicated findings in the field.
The product itself has not been independently validated as an instrument. That would require large-scale studies comparing our AI-based coding against trained human coders, and longitudinal data linking our results to outcome measures. We're transparent about this: the science behind the constructs is solid; the product is a pilot that implements our reading of that science. For the full picture, see our research page.
How is this different from a personality test?
Standard personality tests (like the Big Five) measure traits — broad tendencies that describe what you're generally like. Narrative assessment measures something different: how you make sense of your life as a whole. It operates at what psychologist Dan McAdams called "Level 3" of personality — the life story. Traits and narratives capture genuinely different layers of who you are. This isn't a replacement for trait assessment; it's a complement. See Why Narratives, Not Standard Tests? for more.
Is this like MBTI or Enneagram?
No. MBTI classifies people into 16 types based on binary forced-choice questions. Its test-retest reliability is poor — up to 76% of people get a different type within five weeks. Enneagram lacks peer-reviewed empirical validation. Our approach is grounded in validated research constructs and uses open-ended narrative analysis rather than self-report scales.
That said, we do assign narrative types — but they're descriptive labels for the dominant pattern in your story, not fixed personality categories. They can and should change as your narrative evolves.
The AI
How does the AI analyze my story?
The analysis happens in two stages. First, the AI reads each of your answers and scores it on the narrative dimensions that question is designed to measure — using coding frameworks derived from academic research. It generates a rationale for each score. Second, the scores are aggregated into an overall profile, your narrative type is determined, and a personalized report is generated.
The AI looks at structure, not content. It doesn't judge whether your life is good or bad, or whether your decisions were right. It identifies patterns: whether your story arcs move from bad to good or good to bad, whether you position yourself as someone who acts on the world, whether you connect events through cause and effect, and so on. See How the Product Works for more detail.
Can AI really understand a life story?
Honestly — no, not in the way a therapist or a close friend can. The AI doesn't "understand" your story in any experiential sense. What it does is recognize structural patterns in text, using the same coding frameworks that human researchers use. It detects whether a narrative contains a redemption sequence, not whether the redemption feels genuine to the narrator.
This is a real limitation, and we don't pretend otherwise. The AI is a structural mirror, not an empathetic listener. It's good at identifying patterns you might not see. It's bad at knowing when a pattern doesn't mean what it usually means.
Is my data safe?
Your answers are used to generate your report. They're not used to train AI models, they're not shared with third parties, and they're not stored longer than necessary to deliver your results.
The types
What are the narrative types?
There are ten: Phoenix, Alchemist, Architect, Weaver, Guardian, Sage, Pioneer, Crucible, Explorer, and Narrator. Each describes a dominant pattern in how you tell your life story — not a personality type, not a diagnosis. See What's in the Report for an overview.
Is there a "best" type?
No. Each type has its own strengths and blind spots. An Architect (deliberate builder with strong cause-and-effect reasoning) isn't better than an Explorer (narrative still forming). A Phoenix (deep loss AND powerful renewal) isn't superior to a Guardian (life organized around caring for others). The types describe patterns, not rankings.
My type doesn't feel right. What does that mean?
A few possibilities. The assessment works with limited data — especially in brief mode, where some dimensions are measured by only one or two questions. It's possible the analysis missed something, or that the questions happened to surface a pattern that isn't representative of your broader narrative.
It's also possible that the type feels uncomfortable precisely because it's accurate. The structural patterns in your story aren't always the ones you'd choose to highlight. If the mismatch feels genuinely wrong, take the full assessment for a higher-resolution picture. If it feels wrong but oddly specific, sit with it for a bit.
Can my type change?
Yes, and it should. Your narrative type reflects how you tell your story right now. Major life events, therapy, personal growth, even just the passage of time can shift the pattern. Some types are more stable (Architect, Guardian); others are inherently transitional (Crucible, Explorer). See Does Your Type Change Over Time? for the research on this.
Pricing and access
What's free?
Your first brief assessment (5 questions) is completely free. You'll receive your narrative type, your key strengths, narrative insights, tensions, and one growth prompt — which is most of the report. A few sections (Shadow Chapter, Coherence Style, Full Growth Map) are reserved for the premium version.
What does premium include?
A single purchase unlocks one additional brief assessment and one full assessment (12 questions). The full assessment produces a significantly richer report with additional sections: Meaning-Making Profile, Values Map, Inner Compass, Well-Being Snapshot, and expanded versions of all existing sections.
Is this a subscription?
No. It's a one-time purchase. You buy it, you use it. If you want to take the assessment again later — say, after six months or a major life change — you can buy another one. No recurring charges, no auto-renewal, no tricks.
Why charge at all?
Running AI analysis on open-ended text at this level isn't free. Each assessment requires meaningful computation. We charge enough to cover costs and keep the product sustainable, and we keep the first assessment free so you can see what it offers before deciding whether to go further.
About the project
Who made this?
This product was built by a small team with backgrounds in narrative psychology research, mathematics, and software engineering. It emerged from a simple observation: the science of narrative identity has been mature for decades, but it was locked inside academia because analyzing life stories at scale required trained human coders. AI changed that. We built this to find out what happens when you give people access to the structural analysis of their own stories.
Is this therapy?
No. This is not a diagnostic tool, not a clinical intervention, and not a replacement for professional mental health support. It's a mirror — one that reflects the structural patterns in your life narrative and their validated connections to wellbeing. Some people find it therapeutic in the way that any good self-reflection is therapeutic. But if you're dealing with clinical issues, please work with a professional.
I have feedback. How do I share it?
We'd love to hear it — the product is actively evolving, and user feedback shapes what we build next. Reach out at [contact email/form].
Ready to try it?
Your first brief assessment is free. Five questions, ten minutes, and a map of your narrative you've never seen before.
Continue Reading
How the Product Works
You write about your life. An AI reads the structure. You get a map of your narrative — here's what happens at each step.
What's in the Report and How to Read It
Your report isn't a grade. It's a map — here's how to navigate it, what each section means, and what to pay attention to.
The Science Behind Narrative Identity Assessment
The theoretical foundations, empirical evidence, and methodological choices behind using narrative analysis for psychological assessment — and the honest limits of what this is and isn't.