DR.

PAZ DIAZ

Narrative
Theory
Ysabel Juachon
 What is your
favorite story?
 INTRODUCTION
"Narrative Theory" is a
collection of different theories
that explain how stories, and
the telling of stories, structure
and shape our perceptions of
the world around us.
- University of Hawaii at Hilo
HUMAN BEINGS ARE, BY
NATURE, STORY-TELLING
ANIMALS AND THUS
STORIES ARE PRESENT IN
ALL CULTURES
(Alasdair MacIntyre,
After Virtue: A Study of
Moral Theory, 1981)
LET'S PLAY!
IDENTIFY THE PICTURES
 C_v_
_a_ n_ _ngs
 Cave
Paintings
B_ _ _ i _ _ S_o_ _ es
Bedtime Stories
p _ _ a _ _ d _ i e _ _ g l y_ _ s
pyramid hieroglyphs
p_r___es
parables
STORIES ARE ONE OF THE
PRIMARY WAYS WE
CONSTRUCT REALITY -- WE
UNDERSTAND AND MAKE OUR
WORLD MEANINGFUL
THROUGH STORIES

(Walter Fisher, Narration As

a Human Communication
Paradigm, 1984)
STORIES ARE THE PRIMARY
MEANS BY WHICH CULTURES
INFORM MEMBERS ABOUT
IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE
CULTURE -- E.G., ATTITUDES,
VALUES, BELIEFS, PRACTICES,
RITES AND RITUALS

(Pacanowsky, Creating and

Narrating Organizational
Realities, 1989)
 PARADIGM SHIFT: RATIONAL ==> NARRATIVE
1. People are essentially rational
2. We make decisions on the basis of
arguments
3. The type of speaking situation
(legal, scientific, legislative)
determines the course of our
argument.
4. Rationality is determined by how
much we know and how well we
argue
5. The world is a set of logical puzzles
that we can solve through rational
analysis
1. People are essentially storytellers.
2. We make decisions based on good
reasons which vary depending on the
communication situation, media, and
genre (philosophical, technical,
rhetorical, or artistic).
3. History, biography, culture, and
character determine what we consider
good reasons.
4. Narrative rationality is determined by
the coherence and fidelity of our stories.
5. The world is a set of stories from
which we choose, and thus constantly
re-create, our lives.
NARRATIVE RATIONALITY
COHERENCE & FIDELITY

Coherence -- does the sequence of events in the story

make sense? That is, is the story free from inconsistencies
and contradictions?

Fidelity -- how truthful does the story appear to be? That

is, how probable is it that the sequence of events in the
story occurred as they did?
LET ME KNOW YOUR
THOUGHTS!
PLEASE GO TO MENTIMETER.COM

VOTING LINK: https://www.menti.com/6q9u4s9oaj

VOTING CODE: 59 91 68 5

HOW CAN THIS THEORY BE

USEFUL IN YOUR LIFE?
STORIES COVER EVERY
ASPECT OF OUR EVERYDAY
LIFE, AND ARE THE WINDOWS
TO UNDERSTANDING AND
EXPLAINING HUMAN
BEHAVIORS AND ACTIONS.

(Pacanowsky, Creating and

Narrating Organizational
Realities, 1989)
 Resources:

THANK YOU FOR

Com 270 introduction to theories of
human communication. lect10. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 04, 2021, from

LISTENING! http://www2.hawaii.edu/~randyh/narrat
ive.html.

in Psychology, B. A. S. S. (2014, July 7).

The narrative paradigm.
Communication Theory. Retrieved
November 04, 2021, from
https://www.communicationtheory.org/
the-narrative-paradigm/.

Narrative paradigm class notes.

Communication Theory Notebook.
(2010, December 14). Retrieved
November 10, 2021, from
https://commtheorynotebook.wordpres
s.com/2010/11/11/narrative-paradigm-
class-notes/.