Forming criteria for assessing the coherence of clients' life stories: a narrative study

Abstract

Promoting self‐narrative coherence is seen in this paper as one of the key tasks in therapy. In our narrative study, we attempted to form specific coding criteria for assessing coherence based on the intelligibility of ‘life stories’. Thirty clients (‘graduates’ and beginners) in family‐oriented group therapy took part. We conducted an informal autobiographical interview and asked clients to write a self‐description. Our qualitative analysis focused mainly on narrative form. We created a coding system of four coding criteria, ‘acknowledging/explaining contradictions’, ‘thinking in a relational manner’, ‘acknowledging/responding to the needs of the audience’, and ‘being in touch with emotions’. The latter criterion was further explored and a secondary coding system developed for the emotional assessment of narratives. Two case studies are used as exemplars. The variations as to the degree of self‐narrative incoherence are discussed. Proposals are made for using the four coding criteria as a ‘subjective’ assessment tool for monitoring therapy progress.