`Do you know what I mean?': the use of a pluralistic narrative analysis approach in the interpretation of an interview

Abstract

A B S T R A C T This article demonstrates a within-method pluralistic approach to narrative analysis. It uses an interview held with a mother expecting her second child, in which she talks about her expectations of second-time motherhood, to show how application of more than one narrative analysis to the data leads to a multi-dimensional interpretation. This approach draws on the strengths offered by each model it employs to privilege the narrator's words. By taking guidance from the interview text itself in each phase of analysis, layers of understanding of the account are built up. The article illustrates how eaxch interpretation is made. It demonstrates that the initial understanding of the story is gradually enriched by systematic exploration of the text until a new story emerges. The article concludes by presenting the new story and considering the strengths and limitations of the approach. K E Y W O R D S : motherhood, multi-dimensional understanding, narrative analysis, pluralistic approaches, qualitative research, triangulation A R T I C L E 9 'Do you know what I mean?': the use of a pluralistic narrative analysis approach in the interpretation of an interview

Interactive narratives in the investigation of the collective imaginary about motherhood

“…Some of them focus on the narrative as a process to elaborate life experiences (Bruner, 1990(Bruner, , 2004, while others emphasize its use as a research instrument (Caine, 2010;Frost, 2009;Frost et al, 2010;Melleiro & Gualda, 2004;Paulson, 2010;Riessman, 2008;Vallido, Wilkes, Carter, & Jackson, 2010).…”

“…The results indicate the importance of mothering to these mothers, who tended to blame themselves for their "failures" to protect their children from the symptoms, and were preoccupied to prepare them for their future absence (death). Frost (2009) and Frost et al (2010) make a creative use of an interview with a mother expecting her second child. Frost (2009) showed the different interpretive layers that can be obtained using four different models of narrative analysis.…”

“…Frost (2009) and Frost et al (2010) make a creative use of an interview with a mother expecting her second child. Frost (2009) showed the different interpretive layers that can be obtained using four different models of narrative analysis. Frost et al (2010) demonstrated the transparency and richness one can obtain when four researchers with different qualitative approaches analyze the same interview and narrate their experiences during the investigation process.…”

Commentary: New Pluralistic Strategies for Research in Clinical Practice

“…Different layers may be of interest to researchers asking different questions (Frost, 2009). Taken together they can contribute to a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon (here self-harming behaviour).…”

“…The value of this approach means that both contradiction and qualification of findings made pluralistically can be further investigated (e.g. Moran-Ellis et al, 2006;Frost, 2009) and used to add to the holistic perspective of the topic being formed.…”