Ethics and Process in the Narrative Study of Lives [Paperback]

First-hand accounts of the ideological, moral, emotional and practical complexities that surround the doing of narrative research are offered in this volume.

Exploring such issues as: whether work that risks exposing sensitive aspects of peoples' lives can ever be fully ethical; what effect being written about has on people; the line between narrative research and psychotherapy; and the after-effects of this research on the researcher, the contributions reveal the struggles and anxieties that narrative researchers face.First-hand accounts of the ideological, moral, emotional and practical complexities that surround the doing of narrative research are offered in this volume.

Exploring such issues as: whether work that risks exposing sensitive aspects of peoples' lives can ever be fully ethical; what effect being written about has on people; the line between narrative research and psychotherapy; and the after-effects of this research on the researcher, the contributions reveal the struggles and anxieties that narrative researchers face.

This well-balanced collection of essays offers deeply provocative, honest and open analyses of a wide range of ethical problems within a field which continues to strive toward acceptance and recognition as a research tradition. It should provide useful and insightful reading as well as practical guidance for educators, practitioners and researchers interested in the challenge of telling stories of human experience with the tools of integrity and self-reflection.

Introduction - Ruthellen Josselson
PART ONE: NARRATIVE AND HUMAN FEELING
Some Reflections about Narrative Research and Hurt and Harm - David Bakan
Ethical Issues in Biographical Interviews and Analysis - Dan Bar-On
Expert Witness - Terri Apter
Who Controls the Psychologist's Narrative
Personal Vulnerability and IntelÓ7