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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 November 2023
The chapter explores the nature of narrative, the various definitions that are used and how we should define narrative in relation to applied research. We need to make a distinction between narratives – the stories – and narrative processes – the means by which we are able to construct and use stories. The chapter also explores the key characteristics of narratives, such as temporality and meaning. All narratives have certain key characteristics, though researchers and theoreticians do not agree on precisely what these characteristics are. Narratives must be rule-based, or we wouldn't understand each other. They must relate to characters and actions, cause and effect and occur over time. They are also changeable. For instance, we have science stories that are about current theory, but we accept that theory changes over time. This is similar to our life stories, that change as new events and new interpretations are created.
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