Integrating attachment and linguistic perspectives on the coherence of narratives regarding close relationships: A qualitative illustration

Acta Psychol (Amst). 2024 Apr 17;246:104242. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104242. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTIn this multidisciplinary study, we offer an integrative view on the coherence of narratives regarding close relationships. We show how coherence, as conceptualized by attachment researchers, is manifested in discursive syntactic structure, as conceptualized by linguists. To illustrate this correspondence, we use narratives of six mothers about their adolescent child and their relationship. Narratives were elicited with the widely used Five Minute Speech Sample (FMSS) procedure and were coded according to the FMSS-coherence manual, tapping their clarity, consistency, and multidimensionality. In addition, the syntactic constructions employed by mothers were analyzed. FMSS were segmented into Clause Packages (CPs). Within CPs, overt syntactic markers, such as 'because,' as well as unmarked thematic and pragmatic relations, such as new vs. given information, were categorized as reflecting different levels of integration between clauses. As we demonstrate, mothers whose narratives were rated as more coherent employed more integrated CPs. We conclude by discussing the multi-layered nature of coherence. We consider how a multidisciplinary approach to coherence can enrich the understanding of personal narratives and open a new direction for research of close relationships as well as inform functional analyses of the linguistic expression of coherence.PMID:38636405 | DOI:10.1...

Source: Acta Psychologica - April 18, 2024 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Bracha Nir Efrat Sher-Censor Source Type: research