The Problem of Narrative Coherence

Dan P. Mcadams

doi:10.1080/10720530500508720

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intermediate

The Problem of Narrative Coherence

Dan P. Mcadams (2006)

Published: Apr 1, 2006
Journal: Journal of Constructivist Psychology · Vol. 19 · No. 2
DOI: 10.1080/10720530500508720

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At a GlanceAI

Argues that "narrative coherence" is a key but conceptually tricky target for research on life stories and identity.

SummaryAI

Narrative coherence is often treated as an obvious marker of a healthy or mature life story, yet it can be hard to define and measure consistently. McAdams highlights the conceptual and practical problems in using coherence as a research construct, especially when studying narrative identity. The implication is that researchers should be more careful about what they mean by coherence, how they operationalize it, and when it is (and is not) appropriate to treat it as a positive outcome.

Method SnapshotAI

Conceptual/theoretical analysis of the narrative coherence construct in narrative identity research.

BackgroundAI

Basic familiarity with narrative identity and qualitative life-story approaches in personality or constructivist psychology.

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.

Evgeny Smirnov

Three important coherence criteria are introduced: causal explanation, richness of experience, socially valued action.

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