[Narrative Psychology] refers to a viewpoint or a stance within psychology which is interested in the storied nature of human conduct (Sarbin, 1986)--how human beings deal with experience by constructing stories and listening to the stories of others. Psychologists studying narrative are challenged by the notion that human activity and experience are filled with meaning and that stories, rather than logical arguments or lawful formulations, are the vehicle by which that meaning is communicated. This dichotomy is expressed by Jerome S. Bruner (1986, 1990, 1991) as the distinction between paradigmatic and narrative forms of thought which, he claims, are both fundamental and irreducible one to the other. Sarbin (1986) proposes that narrative becomes a root metaphor for psychology to replace the mechanistic and organic metaphors which shaped so much theory and research in the discipline over the past century. Polkinghorne (1988) offers an especially broad introduction to the general notion of narrative including its study within psychology.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 05:46:55 +0000
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