Self-Narratives: The Construction of Meaning in Psychotherapy

Positioning Microanalysis: Studying the Self Through the Exploration of Dialogical Processes

“…Departing from a phenomenological and narrative perspective (Hermans, 1987;Hermans & Hermans-Jansen, 1995) it emphasizes storytelling of self-narratives as the core element of meaning-making. From this standpoint, by exploring the past, the present and the future, the interviewer invites the person to discriminate different important life stories.…”

“…It allows the possibility of fostering the dialogue between neglected or downplayed positions by giving them a voice and therefore fostering change. These features have made this method particularly relevant in therapeutic contexts (see Hermans & Hermans-Jansen, 1995). In its turn, PPR provides a self-reflective exercise through which the person is guided to chart the organization of internal and external I-positions and their mutual coordination.…”

Psychodrama: from dialogical self theory to a self in dialogical action

“…These shifts are discussed with the therapist, and from these discussions the main oppositions in the I-positions can be distilled. Some good examples can be found in the PPR study of Mary, who defined herself as a witch in certain circumstances, besides her ordinary position as Mary (see Hermans and Hermans-Jansen 1995). The innovative nature of this approach resides in the fact that the valuations which Mary formulated via the SCM were also evaluated by the witch.…”

Discovering subjectivity: A subjective world of meanings in the stories of the twilight of life

“…Both the shape of the relationship with a recipient as well as the topic of a narrative determine such motivation. The role of a subject is to organise the thread of narration, thanks to which it is not merely a chronological sequence of events, but it reveals meanings that are vital to him/her (Hermans & Hermans-Jansen, 1995). In the presented research a method of conducting an interview has been developed with regard to its effectiveness in the scope of motivating a subject to disclose personal meanings.…”