This example translates into Wade's self-proclaimed leadership style as club captain, which emphasises a genuine interest in supporting others, 'not just using them to get where I want ... but ensuring that they leave this place as better people'. This narrative backdrop (ideological setting) reinforces spiritual themes identified in the analysis of Wade's characteristic adaptations. But, at this third layer of personality, we have a much deeper sense of the standing Wade's faith plays in how he understands who he is, and critically, how this connects to his sporting goals. In particular, his quest to become an AFL player ('my dream'), and to be successful in this pursuit, drives the story's plot. Interwoven with this primary goal, however, is Wade's firm belief that he has been guided by God to take this chosen path, reflecting a sacred mission, 'sealed' within him since he was 13 years old, that provides his identity with a clear and formidable sense of meaning and purpose:'This is what I'm here to do' (emphasis added). This spiritual conviction and imagined connection appear in various forms throughout his story (e.g. a spoken word and a quiet voice; Table 4) and act as both an inner guide and sanctuary as he faces his world.
The events and episodes Wade describes in his life story also suggest he views the outside world with a high degree of trust and certainty. He has developed an understanding of positive agency and considers himself an active agent able to achieve socially desirable outcomes (e.g. accolades) and be a positive influence on others (e.g. as captain). Furthermore, Wade identifies how 'blessed and fortunate' he has been in his life, conveyed through the opportunities (e.g. leadership roles) and life circumstances (e.g. being in a loving and supportive family) afforded to him. This sense of privilege, coupled with the peace of mind and guidance Wade draws from his faith, and overall assurance in his abilities, suggest he sees the world, and his future in it, as one full of optimism and promise.
Looking to the future, Wade foresaw himself as someone who can positively contribute to his community:'using who I am and what I do for something good'. In football, he anticipates recovering fully from his current injury and leading his team to a Premiership win in the coming years. As Wade puts it, the personal accolades attained thus far in his playing career 'mean something ... and are better than half or three quarters of the players who ever played the game', but they are not enough to satisfy him 'without that win'. For Wade, the significance of winning a Premiership flag is twofold. First, it fulfils his boyhood dream of achieving ultimate success, and poignantly, the satisfaction of sharing that success with others:'That feeling of doing it with 20-odd other players and coach. That is why I took up the game'. Second, it symbolises Wade's personal legacy (generativity script) to redeem his club of, what he describes as, its 'overlooked' and 'downtrodden' reputation in the AFL. To elaborate, Wade spent some time during the interview describing how he had developed in a club that has generally perceived itself as 'the underdog' compared to its rivals. He discussed the various financial and franchise difficulties the club has had over recent years and his views about its unequal treatment by outsiders (e.g. the media). Wade told how developing in this environment over time has instilled a degree of 'fight' in him, and a motivation 'to prove people [i.e. the sceptics] wrong'. He reported how winning a Premiership would help get the attention and respect the club deserves.
Together, these narratives resemble what Tomkins (1987) called a commitment script, emphasising the story of a protagonist who doggedly pursues a lifelong goal. The latter also depicts a redemptive theme of upward social mobility (McAdams, 2015), wherein a club that lacks the resources and attention of its competitors beats the odds to reach the highest honours. Research suggests that commitment scripts and stories of redemption are often told around a particular narrative structure (e.g. McAdams, 2015; McAdams, Diamond, de St. Aubin, & Mansfield, 1997), where the protagonist (i) experiences an early advantage or blessing, (ii) shows sensitivity to the suffering of others, (iii) establishes a clear personal ideology in adolescence:often linked to religion:that remains a source of unwavering conviction through the adult years, (iv) redeems bad events into good outcomes, (v) expresses strong motivations for both agency and communion, and (vi) sets optimistic and prosocial goals for the future. Wade's life story follows this format. The protagonist reports many advantages and blessings, especially in family, school, and sport ('I've been very lucky'). He shows sensitivity to the suffering of others told through the tales of his brother's challenges and the alleged inequities experienced at his club. This sense of being privileged in life, while observing the suffering of others, affirms the protagonist's conviction that he has been 'called' to do good things and make a positive difference in the world (McAdams, 2015). This commitment and sense of destiny is bolstered by a clear and resounding religious belief system that remains steadfast over time. Seeing one's life in terms of redemptive sequences, furthermore, provides the protagonist the belief that persistence pays off and the hard work that goes into one's goals will eventually yield positive outcomes in the future (McAdams, 2015). His desire for power (recognition, self-enhancement) is fulfilled in the service of communion (safeguarding the club, positively developing others). Finally, looking to the future, the protagonist sets forth goals and plans that aim to benefit both the self and the wider social world (e.g. 'using who I am and what I do for something good').
In the analysis of Wade's personal strivings, we learned that Wade's greatest commitment in football is to make his life 'mean something'. We can now expand and connect this finding to Wade's moral obligation to deliver success to his club. Doing so leaves behind a positive legacy that satisfies both Wade's personal (needs for status and affiliation) and social ('to prove people wrong') goals. It provides him a psychological resource to persevere with the demands and setbacks endured in AFL football. It also helps sustain his conviction that the efforts and sacrifices put in today will ultimately be redeemed.
When Wade's narrative is reviewed, it becomes clear that the thematic lines in his life story reflect a blend of his needs for separation (agency) and relationship (communion; Bakan, 1966). This mix is exhibited in the four main characters, or imagoes, that define his life story. The first character, the Playful Child, is introduced to us at the very start and denotes an idealised characterisation of the safe, secure, and supportive surroundings of Wade's upbringing. The second protagonist is the Agentic Athlete. Much of Wade's life story is organised around his journey to become a professional AFL player and his efforts at the elite level. The Agentic Athlete represents Wade's goal to be a competent and recognised footballer, who has the desire to prove his worth through his performances and ability to stay true to this commitment, despite its challenges. The third imago, the Good Christian, personifies the most important value in Wade's life:his spiritual and caregiving obligation to support and nurture humanity. His personal myth is, in part, the story of a religious advocate who strives to lend himself to the betterment of others through generosity and example. The Good Christian also symbolises Wade's sense of belonging to the group and a desire to collectively share success with others.
Together, the three characters are idealised imagoes that personify the general agentic (Agentic Athlete) and communal (Playful Child and Good Christian) themes in Wade's life story. They also set up a prevailing dialectic in his narrative identity (Gregg, 1991), represented by internalised images of achievement and separation (i.e. power), on the one hand, and a desire to closely relate to and care for others (i.e. love), on the other hand. To resolve this tension, Wade projects a fourth imago into his life story, the Heroic Leader, which integrates these figurative opposites into a coherent and dynamic whole. The Heroic Leader is the most profound imago in Wade's life story, which, together with his own goals, is built around the idealised image of one of Wade's former captains, whom he described as the most important influence on him in the AFL. This main character typifies Wade's desire for prestige as a leading player at his club and a self-personification of a respected role model who can influence and support others in positive ways. It also expresses an image of a moral and prosocial individual, who can relate to others and inspire them to follow his vision. Like Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, this vision reflects Wade's ambition to lead his club out of AFL obscurity to the heights of a Premiership win.  At its core, the Heroic Leader imago is a moral exemplar signalling Wade's motivation to promote his own self-interests through promoting the interests of others (Frimer et al., 2011). This characterisation weaves agency and communion together within the narrative flow:'I'm playing football for a reason ... not just for me, but because I'm here to influence others'.
To summarise, Wade's narrative follows the ambitions of a boy who grows up to realise his dream of playing in the AFL. Entwined with this ambition are the events and circumstances that have convinced Wade of God's presence in guiding and supporting him in this pursuit. Despite experiencing various challenges and disappointments along the way, Wade's ability to muster up hope and commitment transform his setbacks into enhancement. Significant rewards and accolades follow, reinforcing the identity of a gifted and resilient individual with integrity. However, on their own, the rewards and accolades are not enough. As a self-proclaimed leader and club captain, the story casts an image of Wade delivering a Premiership win. This victory reflects Wade's idealised commitment to a lasting contribution and the integration of a personal narrative emphasising his desire for power and redemption. It also expresses Wade's deep conviction that he has been 'called upon' or 'chosen' to be a positive influence in the world.
Consistent with our analysis at the first two layers of personality, Wade's life story contains themes of a goal-directed agent who aims to give back to others in light of the fortunes that he has enjoyed. Reflecting the tale of a personal mission, Wade's narrative is a story about a religious individual's quest for achievement and legacy that plays out in a sporting context. It is this story that Wade carries around with him, implicit and evolving over time, which speaks of his narrative identity. With profound continuity and coherence, it sets him up, psychologically speaking, to endure the challenges and duties that accompany the hard task of succeeding and surviving in professional football. Put simply, it is the key to his MT.
For Wade, the hardest task, at present, is tolerating the stress and arduous hours of rehabilitation associated with his injury, all the while maintaining a certain facade, which he feels is necessary, in his role as a leading figure at the club. What assurances are there to suggest that Wade can sustain the commitment and strength of mind to endure this latest challenge? First, we might suggest that he possesses a particular trait profile (e.g., very high C, very low N) that is favourable in this regard (Figure 1). Similarly, his motivational agenda (e.g. his desire to get ahead, to be a master of his environment), and the strategies he uses to cope with his injury, may support his efforts and resolve to get through (Tables 1 and 2). In addition to these internal resources, however, is a personal narrative that provides Wade's life in time with a clear sense of meaning, unity, and purpose. Layered over his traits, goals, and coping strategies is an internalised story carrying themes of achievement, faith, and legacy that picks him up when things get bad and remind him that the sacrifices that football demands of him today will be worth it in the end. The structure of this narrative is also indicative of, what Singer (2001) calls, a highly functioning or 'healthy' individual. Singer suggests that optimal well-being is reflected in stories that (i) contain a balanced sense of agency and communion, (ii) are infused with an overall setting of hope and possibility, (iii) find positive meaning out of disappointments, (iv) tolerate ambiguity and contradiction, and (v) express a conviction that one can offer something of value to the world. Alongside Wade's dispositional traits and characteristic adaptations, then, is an upbeat and adaptive story, which is filled with drive and redemptive scripts and suggests a degree of confidence and hope that Wade can reach a positive outcome to this latest setback.
The analysis of personality via the life story interview also brings to attention the role of culture in the construction of Wade's narrative identity. From previous work (Coulter et al., 2016), we have some understanding of the cultural context in which Wade is embedded in football. For example, we know he plays for a club that historically sees itself as 'disadvantaged' compared to its rivals (p. 104). We also know that it ratifies MT as a term expressing salient subcultural values and ideals, such as being selfless, infallible, and uncompromising. Similar themes, or 'master narratives' (Hammack, 2008), appear in Wade's life story (e.g. 'to fight for what you wanted', 'to succeed against the odds'). These themes are prominent in Wade's recollection of his early years in professional football:'something that was impressed upon you, even without you realising it':as well as in the connections he makes between these memories and his existing narrative identity. A review of Wade's life story suggests he has assumed and personalised these prevailing master narratives at his club, subsequently shaping his identity as a result of his unique social circumstances in the professional game.