Reinterpreting Time in Fit Theory: Crafting and Recrafting Narratives of Fit in Medias Res

Abstract

We expand the largely contemporaneous fit literature with a model that explains how individuals craft and recraft stories of fit in medias res—in the middle of things. These fit narratives, composed of retrospected, current, and anticipated fit and woven together by a theme, help individuals make sense of their fit experiences and relate to outcomes through temporal influence and temporal comparison processes. Our model both extends and reinterprets our understanding of fit over time.