Narrative Story Completion Methodologies: Research Approaches Across the Lifespan

The stories we tell reflect what we know, both explicitly and implicitly, about ourselves and others and reveal the processes through which our social worlds are constructed. With nearly a 100-year history in psychology, this volume takes a fresh look at narrative story completion methodologies (NSCM), a story-based research approach that harnesses the power of storytelling to better understand our inner and socially constructed worlds. The volume represents the first compendium to present the diverse array of NSCM used by contemporary researchers and practitioners. It synthesizes three decades of quantitative and qualitative studies across disciplines and through the lifespan, and offers exciting new directions for bringing the method to its full potential.

By bringing together and highlighting strengths in both quantitative and qualitative works, the volume urges researchers to break through epistemological dichotomies. It charts a way forward for conceptualizing holistic frameworks that acknowledge and integrate life course processes, specifically perspectives that account for individual characteristics and processes within sociocultural contexts. Providing valuable insights and applications for researchers who study cognition and development across the lifespan, the volume also offers examples of and future directions for building on the strengths of storytelling in culturally sensitive and asset-based ways, highlighting approaches for researchers to advance social justice and promote the well-being of individuals and communities worldwide.