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Psychology
intermediate

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

Elaine Reese et al. (2011)

Published
Oct 1, 2011
Journal
Journal of Cognition and Development · Vol. 12 · No. 4
DOI
10.1080/15248372.2011.587854
View Original

At a GlanceAI

Proposes a multidimensional model and coding method to assess coherence in personal narratives across the lifespan.

SummaryAI

This paper matters because it offers a clear way to define and measure how “coherent” personal stories are, from childhood through adulthood. Its novelty is treating narrative coherence as multidimensional rather than a single score, and pairing that model with a structured coding method. The implication is a more consistent tool for researchers studying how people make meaning and build narrative identity through autobiographical storytelling.

Method SnapshotAI

Develops a conceptual multidimensional model and presents a qualitative coding scheme for rating coherence in personal narratives.

BackgroundAI

Basic familiarity with autobiographical memory, narrative development, and qualitative coding of interview or story data.

In Collections

Psychology14 papers

Narrative coherence in life stories

The essential papers that built our understanding of how people turn lived experience into coherent stories — and why that coherence matters for identity. From Linde's life stories as linguistic acts, through McAdams' narrative identity framework, to Habermas and Bluck's developmental account of the life story — this collection traces how the field learned to see personality not as a set of traits, but as a story being told.

ES
Evgeny Smirnov

An interesting attempt to operationalize the coding of narrative coherence through different levels. The article is useful for understanding the development of the topic. There is a pretty good overview of previous research (although selective).

— ES