Biographical Narrative Research From the Perspective of the Science of Unitary Human Beings: A Methodological Approach

Abstract

Narrating or storytelling is a fundamental practice for human survival and a means for finding meaning in experiences and for enhancing self-understanding. The use of story has been present in nursing since its origins. Biographical narrative has rarely been used as a research method in nursing, and there are no examples conceptualizing biographical narrative research methods within a unitary science perspective. The purpose of this paper is to describe one specific narrative methodological approach—the biographical narrative research method—and to link the method to the science of unitary human beings as a means of creating a unitary understanding of the storied nature of human-health experiences.

The Role of Metaphor in Hermeneutic Research

“…Ricoeur also placed emphasis on the social context because meaning is formed within a unique social context. Ricoeur (1984) developed a hermeneutical method focusing on the ways persons comprehend through text the experiences of others by building on Aristotle's idea of mimesis and meaning representation (Mora et al, 2023).…”