Coherence of Personal Narratives across the Lifespan: A Multidimensional Model and Coding Method

Psychology Press. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

Y

39

Rhetoric; Laboratories; Personal Narratives; Memory; Identification; Coding; Models; Prediction; Evaluation; Preschool Children; Reliability; Autobiographies; Children; Adults; Foreign Countries; Elementary Secondary Education

Georgia; Illinois; Massachusetts; Minnesota; New Zealand; North Carolina; United States

10.1080/15248372.2011.587854

1524-8372

Personal narratives are integral to autobiographical memory and to identity, with coherent personal narratives being linked to positive developmental outcomes across the lifespan. In this article, we review the theoretical and empirical literature that sets the stage for a new lifespan model of personal narrative coherence. This new model integrates context, chronology, and theme as essential dimensions of personal narrative coherence, each of which relies upon different developmental achievements and has a different developmental trajectory across the lifespan. A multidimensional method of coding narrative coherence (the Narrative Coherence Coding Scheme) was derived from the model and is described here. The utility of this approach is demonstrated by its application to 498 narratives that were collected in six laboratories from participants ranging in age from 3 years old to adulthood. The value of the model is illustrated further by a discussion of its potential to guide future research on the developmental foundations of narrative coherence and on the benefits of personal narrative coherence for different aspects of psychological functioning. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)

As Provided

85

2012

EJ949119