#IdentityFormation
Reading aloud was the first arc.
But when stories stop, identity drifts.
The Challenge Interview is the second—
a daily ritual to help kids reflect before algorithms script their sense of self.

🔗 tomjmassey.substack.com/p/the-dual-a...
#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc
The Dual Arc of Identity
Why Daily Reflection Must Follow Daily Reading
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 4, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Kids need better contrasts.
Sesame Street taught by comparing, not explaining. Still works at 9.

“Which was a gallop?”
“Which part drained you?”

Comparison is reflection. That’s how identity forms.

#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc
tomjmassey.substack.com/p/the-sesame...
The Sesame Street Insight: Teaching Through Comparison
Why letting go isn’t quitting—it’s leveling up with grace
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 5, 2025 at 8:59 PM
We taught kids to perform and optimize. But not to reflect. This piece is about what happens when we skip that—and why reflection might be the missing skill of childhood.

tomjmassey.substack.com/p/deliberate...

#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc #DeliberatePractice
Deliberate Practice for the Concrete Mind
Why Reflection, Not Just Effort, Is the Missing Skill of Childhood
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
At Emberhart, we believe identity formation is a lifelong journey, and we are diving deep into it every Friday on the podcast.

🎙️ Tune in:
🎙 music.amazon.com/podcasts/694...

#Emberhart #IdentityFormation #EgoIdentity #ExploreAndCommit #FridayPodcast #StoriesThatInspire #VoicesOfCourage
For the best experience accessing Amazon Music we recommend using the latest version of Firefox, Chrome, Safari or Edge.
music.amazon.com
February 28, 2025 at 10:25 AM
This is a recent guest on my podcast and what he thought about being on the show. #hometowndfriendspod
#friendship
#identityformation
February 28, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Before kids could swipe, they could listen.
Story wasn’t entertainment—it was structure.
In a world of fragments, identity needs arcs.
Give them back the rhythm that holds memory and meaning.

🔗 tomjmassey.substack.com/p/once-upon-...
#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc
Once Upon Our Future
Why Story Is the Ultimate Parenting Tool
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 4, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The Challenge Interview isn’t small talk.
It’s how kids 8–12 learn to think.
A daily habit that evolves with their brain—
from literal answers to layered reflection.

Part Two: How the questions grow as they do.
🔗 tomjmassey.substack.com/p/mastering-...
#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc
Mastering the Challenge Interview: The Evolution of Thought and Connection (Part Two)
The Challenge Interview isn’t just a clever tool to get kids talking—it’s a structured cognitive workout that evolves with them, shaping how they process experiences, express emotions, and build lifel...
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 4, 2025 at 6:53 PM
How are we telling the stories about ourselves?

👤For more on narrative identity theory, head to my website aubreyaust.com/blog. Link in bio.

#self #selfhood #identity #identityformation #psychology #philosophy #whatistheself #narrativeidentity #danmcadams
June 10, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Does religious upbringing impact access to education? This study explores the educational identity formation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the unique barriers faced by those who leave.
doi.org/10.1080/1550...
#ReligiousStudies #EducationResearch #ExJW #FaithDeconstruction #IdentityFormation #HigherEd
The Educational Identity Formation of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Through qualitative research this study addresses the inadequate amount of research investigating the educational identity formation of individuals who are raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW). Narra...
doi.org
February 27, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Our #call for applications (Phd fellowship) has been extended until March 31st. You're a freshly graduated #Classicist / #AncientHistorian with an interest in #CulturalHistory, #IdentityFormation, #UrbanSocieties? Want to work on #strangers in the city?

Apply, apply, apply!
March 19, 2024 at 8:58 AM
What if the most important convo of your kid’s day happens after it ends?

There’s a 10-minute neural window—when identity is shaped in real-time.

Catch it, and you build resilience.

#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc #Neuroscience
tomjmassey.substack.com/p/resilience...
Resilience, by the Minute: Why the 10-Minute Chatterbox Window Works
How a Daily Post-Activity Ritual Builds Self-Narration in Children Aged 7–12
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Want a better way to connect with your child—and build their self-awareness?
I just published a guide to “Challenge Interviews,” a simple daily ritual for kids 8–12.
Rethink reflection. Rebuild connection.
tomjmassey.substack.com/p/mastering-...
#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc
Mastering the Challenge Interviews: The Secret to Conversations That Actually Go Somewhere (Part One)
You know the routine.
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 4, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Mental health problems are often a part of who we are, but they don’t define who we are.

#identityformation #existentialthoughts #mentalhealthmonday
June 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
What if the bravest thing your child could do… was quit?
Not all persistence is healthy.
Functional intolerance is the skill of walking away—early, wisely, without shame.
Essay: tomjmassey.substack.com/p/functional...
#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArc
Functional Intolerance: Teaching Kids When to Walk Away
Why discernment—not just grit—is the real endurance skill children need
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 5, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Negotiating the boundaries of #Blackness and naming #whiteness: The racialisation and identity formation process of #FrenchCitizensOfIndianDescent

Author: Manuela Pauline Latchoumaya

The University of Manchester

Coming soon!

#Frenchness #Racialisation #identityFormation
May 29, 2025 at 2:45 PM
What if ambition in childhood isn’t grit—but knowing when to move on?
The Trade-Up Reflex: a skillful shift, not quitting.
Trial → Core → Trade-Up.
Let’s raise kids who evolve with purpose.
#Parenting #IdentityFormation #TheDualArctomjmassey.substack.com/p/the-trade-...
The Trade-Up Reflex: Building Adaptive Ambition
Why letting go isn’t quitting—it’s leveling up with grace
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 5, 2025 at 7:08 PM
What if AGI wasn't for output, but for coherence? Not to optimize tasks, but to hold identity. A second narrator. A mirror. Before we forget who we were becoming.

tomjmassey.substack.com/p/the-cognit...
#dualarcproject #identityformation #Claude3 #OpenAI #AnthropicAI #AIUX #Neurodivergent
The Cognitive Mirror: Why We Need AGI Agents for Coherence, Not Just Productivity
What if AI could hold our attention, not just capture it? A case for coherence-first agents in an era of accelerated overwhelm.
tomjmassey.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 9:35 PM