Mickel Hoback

Narrative Theory

Narrative Theory……Where do I start? Unlike most people this theory has a special place in my education and in my personal life. Where reading the chapter this week it was the first time I had heard of it however not the first time I seen it. Upon starting school at Southern Adventist University I was enrolled in a class in which reflection papers were assigned. This was also my first run in with these so called reflection papers. I remember the first few were actually hard as I would read the material and then regurgitate the material right back out. We were then told they wanted to see how the readings applied to our own lives.
Little did I know that these papers were in some way a form of this theory or so as it applied to my life. It was a life story about where I came from and where I wanted to go and it actually made me stop and think about how I viewed things within my own life and realize others that I needed to change.
As stated in the text, the narrative theory is about empowering the client and helping them gain greater control over their lives and that’s what these reflection papers did for me. The readings also stated that the theory is premised on the idea that people’s lives and relationships are shaped by their life stories and the ways of life they develop based on those stories. This was so true for me as I looked backed I could see events that had impacted my way of thinking and in some cases hindered my outlook on life in general. One thing that stuck out to me in the chapter was the case illustration about the hospice client. The client was asked about little things and she began to reflect back on her life and this gave her a sense of dignity and empowered her and she finally got to tell the world how she saw things and to also leave a story for when she passed away.
The theory is said to have been researched and five out of six families reported that when using this method, relationships improved. I actually stopped and wondered what was wrong with the sixth family as this model is really nothing more than communication and from my point of view can be looked at almost like a conversation amongst friends. Communication is essential in improving relationships and I think this theory would work well in family settings. There have also been many criticisms of the theory which include it not being suitable as a primary intervention when people are in need of basic services and it’s rejection of general theories. I believe that maybe this is somewhat true as this is a good intervention to lead with but incorporating another type of therapy down the line would seem useful, however this being used as a standalone treatment may be right for someone that is facing a certain death and just wants a way to tell their story once they are gone. The fact that it rejects the general theories of practice actually made it appeal to me even more in that everyone is different and sometimes setting things in stone can actually harm progress with a client. Several theories throughout time have been rejected and later discarded when new evidence presented itself.
Since I first began writing those ever so popular reflection papers I have come to realize that this in itself is a type of therapy for me. I have continued to write these papers even after the class was over not only as therapy but to also leave my story for my daughter so that later in life she will be able to look back and see what made me the way I was and why I valued the things I did. I guess because of how much it worked for me I would defiantly use this theory with future clients whether it be as an initial type of treatment of as a standalone treatment depending on the situation.