The Stories That Families Tell: Narrative Coherence, Narrative Interaction, and Relationship Beliefs

Personal narratives are receiving considerable interest as reflections of important psychological processes. Less attention, however, has been paid to how narratives are constructed among family members and serve as markers of family relationship functioning that directly affect child development. This monograph describes the ways that narratives about personal experience are a central aspect of a family's attempt to make sense of their world and to share representations of relationships with their children. The narratives used in this project came from family interviews conducted with four different samples using four different interview protocols.

Personal narratives are receiving considerable interest as reflections of important psychological processes. Less attention, however, has been paid to how narratives are constructed among family members and serve as markers of family relationship functioning that directly affect child development. This monograph describes the ways that narratives about personal experience are a central aspect of a family's attempt to make sense of their world and to share representations of relationships with their children. The narratives used in this project came from family interviews conducted with four different samples using four different interview protocols.