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Narrative psychology is a burgeoning field of research into the way stories
shape lives. During the past ten years, I have published a number of articles
and chapters in this field which develop the concept of `narrative partitioning'--the
circumstances in which something extraordinary can happen in an individual
life.
The conclusion from my latest chapter summarises the basic logic of narrative
psychology:
Whether located in consciousness, conversation or wordless action,
narrative need not be seen simply as a given modality of sense. As a
sphere of life, it requires the boundary construction of gates and fences
before it can be read back into normal life. Literary theory operates
inside this space occasionally tracking the intervention of real life
forces as narrative sub-structure. It's the business of narrative psychology
here to take the other side of the fence, monitoring the flow of fiction
back into life. A spatialised theory of meaning, for which every inside
has an outside, enables us to talk to those over the fence without losing
the distinctive project of our inquiry. Since the line of demarcation
today is rapidly shifting into new virtual realms, it is a significant
challenge for this fledgling school to patrol the new terrain and monitor
the changes therein and thereout.
taken from: `Narrative Partitioning: The ins
and outs of identity construction' (ed J. Smith, R. Harré, & Luk
van Langenhove) Rethinking Psychology: Volume 1 - Conceptual Foundations
Sage, 1995 (see online version)
For more information about this area of psychology, see the Virtual
Faculty.
Other publications:
- Justificatory accounts and the meaning of the marathon as a social
event (1985) Australian Psychologist 20 (1): 6174
- Life as fiction (1985) Journal for the
Theory of Social Behaviour 15 (2): 173-188
- Entertaining the travel story (1986) Melbourne Journal of Politics
18: 28-43
- Finding literary paths: the work of popular
life constructors. (1986) In T.R. Sarbin (ed.) Narrative Psychology:
The Storied Nature of Human Conduct. New York: Praeger
- The tall man reads psychoanalysis and finds romance (1986) Southern
Review 20: 4968
- The construction of identity in the narratives
of romance and comedy. (1988) In J.Shotter & K.Gergen (eds.)
Texts of Identity London: Sage
- A life in the world in Australia (1991) Australian Cultural History
10: 25-36
- The construction of a moral career in medicine. (1992) In R. Young
& A. Collins (eds.) Interpreting Career: Hermeneutical Studies
of Lives in Context New York: Praeger
- with D. Epston and M. White, A proposal for
re-authoring therapy. (1992) In S. McNamee & K.J. Gergen Therapy
as Social Construction London: Sage
If you would like to read any of these references but have trouble finding
them, send me your address and I will mail you a copy.
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