The Narrative Paradigm

Based on the research of

Walter Fisher

Narrative ParadigmIt promotes the belief

that humans are storytellers and that

values, emotions, and aesthetic considerations ground our beliefs and

behaviors.

In other words, we are more persuaded by a

good story than by a good argument.

ParadigmoHas a broader concept than a theory.

oFisher states that his use of this term refers to an effort to formalize and direct our understanding of the experience of all human communication.

Paradigm Shift

A significant change in the way most people see

the world and its meanings.

Rational World Paradigm

A system of logic employed by many

researchers and professionals.

Assumptions Of TheNarrative Paradigm

oHumans are naturally storytellers.

oDecisions about a story’s worth are based on “good reasons.”

oGood reasons are determined by history, biography, culture, and character.

oRationality is based on people’s judgments of a story’s consistency and truthfulness.

oWe experience the world as filled with stories, and we must choose among them.

Contrast Between Narrative And Rational

World Paradigmo Humans are storytellers.

o Humans are rational beings.

o Decision making and communication are based on “good reasons.”

o Decision making is based on arguments.

o Good reasons are determined by matters of history, biography, culture, and character.

o Arguments adhere to specific criteria for soundness and logic.

o Rationality is based in people’s awareness of how internally consistent and truthful to lived experience stories appear.

o Rationality is based in the quality of knowledge and formal reasoning processes.

o The world is experienced by people as a set of stories from which to choose among. As we choose, we live life in a process of continual re-creation.

o The world can be reduced to a series of logical relationships that are uncovered through reasoning.

Key Concepts In TheNarrative ApproachoNarration.oNarrative rationality (which includes coherence or probability and fidelity).

oLogic of good reasons.

NarrationoIn Fisher’s perspective, narration includes any verbal or nonverbal account with a sequence of events to which listeners assign a meaning.

oThis definition implies the need for a storyteller and a listener.

oAll communication is narrative.oFisher argues that narrative is not a specific genre, but rather it is a mode of social influence.

oIt is Fisher’s contention that all life is composed of stories or narratives.

Narrative RationalityoIt provides us with a means for judging narratives that is quite different from the traditional methods found in the rational world paradigm.

oIt operates on the basis of two different principles: coherence and fidelity.

Coherenceo It refers to the internal consistency of

a narrative.o It is the standard of sense making

applied to a given narrative.o It is often measured by the

organizational and structural elements of a narrative.

o It is based on 3 specific types of consistency: structural coherence, material coherence, and characterological coherence.

Structural Coherenceo A type of coherence referring to the flow of

the story.

Material Coherenceo A type of coherence referring to the

congruence between one story and other related stories.

Characterological Coherenceo A type of coherence referring to the

believability of the characters in the story.

Fidelityo It is a principle of narrative

rationality judging credibility of a story.

o It is the truthfulness or reliability of the story.

o Stories with fidelity ring true to a listener.

Logic Of Good ReasonsoA set of values for accepting

a story as true and worthy of acceptance; provides a method for assessing fidelity.

oThis logic is a process consisting of 2 series of five questions that the listener asks about the narrative.

First 5 Questions:1. Are the statements that claim to be factual

in the narrative really factual?2. Have any relevant facts been omitted from

the narrative or distorted in its telling?3. What are the patterns of reasoning that

exist in the narrative?4. How relevant are the arguments in the

story to any decision the listener may make?

5. How well does the narrative address the important and significant issues of this case?

5 Questions That Follows:1. What are the implicit and explicit values

contained in the narrative?2. Are the values appropriate to the

decision that is relevant to the narrative?

3. What would be the effects of adhering to the values embedded in the narrative?

4. Are the values confirmed or validated in lived experience?

5. Are the values of the narrative the basis for ideal human conduct?

JEX ASUNCION