Narrative Knowing and the Human Sciences

by Donald E. Polkinghorne

Overview

This book expands the concept of the nature of science and provides a practical research alternative for those who work with people and organizations.

Using literary criticism, philosophy, and history, as well as recent developments in the cognitive and social sciences, Narrative Knowing and the Human Sciences shows how to use research information organized by the narrative form—such information as clinical life histories, organizational case studies, biographic material, corporate cultural designs, and literary products. The relationship between the narrative format and classical and statistical and experimental designs is clarified and made explicit. Suggestions for doing research are given as well as criteria for judging the accuracy and quality of narrative research results.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887066238
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	04/07/1988
Series:	SUNY series in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	246
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1440L (what's this?)

About the Author

Donald E. Polkinghorne is Emeritus Professor and Chair of Counseling Psychology at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Methodology for the Human Sciences: Systems of Inquiry and Practice and the Human Sciences: The Case for a Judgment-Based Practice of Care, both also published by SUNY Press.

Table of Contents

Preface

I. Introduction

The realms of human existence
The study of narrative meaning
The plan of the book

II. Narrative Expression

The term "narrative"
The pervasiveness of narratives
Suppositions about human experience
The narrative scheme
Narrative and language
Narrative as discourse
Narrative expression

III. History and Narrative

History and formal science
Analytic philosophy and history
Narrative and French historiography
History as explanatory discourse
History as narrative discourse
Historical narratives
Ricoeur on narrative and history

IV. Literature and Narrative

Prestructural American criticism
Structuralism and narrative
Written narratives and point of view
Reception theory

V. Psychology and Narrative

The history of narrative study in psychology
Self-Narrative
Narrative competence
Life-span development
Freudian psychoanalysis and narrative
Organizational Consultation

VI. Human Existence and Narrative

Narrative and temporality
Action and narrative
Narrative and the self

VII. Practice and Narrative

Human experience as narrative
Research with narrative
Psychotherapy
Conclusion

Notes

References

Index

Editorial Reviews

"This book speaks to a raging controversy that has significance for a variety of fields. I know of no other book that is so integrative and clarifying of what the issues are and how they arose." — Seymour Sarason, Yale University

From the Publisher