The stories that families tell

Barbara H. Fiese, Philip A. Cowan

"Personal narratives are receiving considerable interest as reflections of important psychological processes. Less attention, however, has been paid to how narratives are constructed among family members and serve as markers of family relationship functioning that directly affect child development. As a group activity, the telling of family stories may be one way that families regulate social interactions. As reflections of individual and family beliefs, family stories also may be a way that representations of relationships are passed down generations... [This study is] interested in how narratives about personal experiences could be considered a central aspect of the family's attempt to make sense of their social world and to share representation of relationships with their children."--From abstract.