Narrative Psychology and Methodology

Another New York Times article nicely illustrates the interplay of qualitative and quantitative research in exploring a complex psychological topic: whether or not personality can be explored via first-person accounts. This is, of course, a throwback to some of the earliest ideas in scientific psychology.

The research summarized in the article and further elaborated upon below re-opens many questions asked by early psychologists. However, the methodological lessons learned since psychology's early days are fully understood by these researchers.

Thus, McAdams et al. (2006) (see full references below) find that narrative accounts of one's life show evidence of continuity. In other words, they check to be sure that the phenomenon they are studying is reliable over time. McAdams and his co-workers report on research in which college students write detailed accounts about their lives three times (initially, at three months, and at three years). They found continuity for "narrative complexity, and...emotional tone."

Similarly, McLean and Pasupathi (2006) find that extraverts were more likely to engage in collaborative narration. They test an independent variable (extraversion/introversion) and find that it predicts an effect under two separate conditions. McLean and Pasupathi report on two studies, the first on self-defining memories and the second on everyday narration. Their hypothesis, that extraverts were more likely to engage in collaborative narration was supported by both studies.

Adler et al. (2006) show that depressive thinking and concern over contamination each independently predicted depression. They, too, examine independent variables (self-thoughts about depression and contamination) and find that each predicted depression. Adler and his collaborators used the CAVE (the Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanations) to evaluate 70 life interviews from midlife adults. They found that depressogenic attributional style and themes of contamination each independently predict depression and low satisfaction with life.

Kross et al. (2005) attempt to look at the difference between rumination and adaptive reflection. Here, the independent variable was created by dividing participants into two groups depending on whether they asked themselves 'Why' questions. Those who did ask themselves 'Why' experienced cooler emotional reactions when thinking about past memories. In two experiments, the authors attempt to "disentangle" rumination from adaptive reflection. Their results suggest that individuals who ask 'Why?' were more able to re-experience emotional experiences in a cooler manner and without reliving the experience.

Finally, Libby et al. (2005) examine first-person and third-person memories of emotional events. They find that change is more likely to accompany third-person retrospective accounts. Again, they used participants' self-selection of first- or third- person accounts to create groups. Libby and her colleagues studied first-person vs. third person memory perspectives in five separate studies (looking at motivation, goals, instructions, and self-esteem). They found that third-person perspectives were more likely to produce judgments of self-change in the context of looking for change. However, third-person judgments were less likely to produce judgments for self-change in contexts looking for continuity.

For further reading:

Adler, J. M., Kissel, E. C., & McAdams, D. P. (2006). Emerging from the CAVE: Attributional style and the narrative study of identity in midlife adults. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 30, 39-51.

Kross, E., Ayduk, O., & Mischel, W. (2005). When asking 'Why' does not hurt: Distinguishing rumination from reflective processing of negative emotions. Psychological Science, 16, 709-715.

Libby, L. K., Eibach, R. P., & Gilovich, T. (2005). Here's looking at me: The effect of memory perspective on assessments of personal change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 50-62.

McAdams, D. P., Bauer, J. J., Sakaeda, A. R., Aniyidoho, N. A., Machado, M. A., Magrino-Failla, K., White, K. W., & Pals, J. L. (2006). Continuity and change in the life story: A longitudinal study of autobiographical memories in emerging adulthood. Journal of Personality, 74, 1371-1400.

McLean, K. C., & Pasupathi, M. (2006). Collaborative narration of the past and extraversion, Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 1219-1231.