The narrative identity approach and romantic relationships

Bühler, Janina Larissa; Dunlop, William L. (2019). The narrative identity approach and romantic relationships. Social and personality psychology compass, 13(4), e12447. Wiley 10.1111/spc3.12447

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Narrative identity is an internal and evolving life story in which the narrator integrates conceptions of the personal past, present, and presumed future within a coherent story‐based framework. Carrying a number of personal and social implications, this construct represents a psychological resource. We contend that, like life itself, one's history within the romantic domain as well as one's current romantic relationship(s) are often viewed using story‐based frameworks. As such, we argue that the greater adoption of the narrative identity approach within the close relationships literature would complement and extend current assessment paradigms used to study romantic relationships. In this article, we outline the conceptual and methodological background of the narrative identity approach. This is followed by a brief review of extant research using narrative methodologies in the study of romantic relationships. Finally, a series of current and future research directions are presented that rest at the nexus between the narrative identity approach and the study of romantic relationships. We conclude that the more extensive integration of the narrative identity approach within the close relationships literature would contribute to the understanding of such relationships. This is a story worth telling.

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