Narrative Communication is defined as communication in which how individuals communicate to one another in the form of telling about events in a macro or micro way to explain some an opinion. Biologically our species is termed as Homo sapiens; however, sociologically we are considered to be homo narans meaning story telling people. We create our worlds that we live in by telling and listening to stories or narratives. Unconsciously we send and receive narratives every day. It does not matter who the person is. It could be some person that is sitting next to us at any given time. It's a misconception that people believe that we only share stories with friends, according to narrative theory (Baxter, 241). It does not have to be a friend we can see a stranger on the bus. When that person tells us about their day, and what has gone wrong to what is good, they are telling us how they want us to see them. They are telling us their story. Narrative communication is part of interpersonal communication.
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Narrative essentially a story or an account of an event or a series of events as told by an individual. Narratives can be extensive or small. Per Kellas, “People build and communicate their relationships, cultures, and identities, in part through the stories they tell” (Baxter, 241) One may ask, why not call it “story telling theory”, instead of narrative theory? Most communication scholars view this as the story being retold in a micro fashion which does not have extensive details. While the term narrative encompasses a macro aspect than just story telling. For example, a story is generally describing or recounting a noteworthy event in someone’s life. Whereas a narrative for example is not just the event but could describe multiple events to a whole sequence of someone in more detail than just telling one single story about the person. There are two types of narratives that create the biggest impact in our lives. First there is personal narrative, second there are professional narratives.
This concept explains that most of the narratives we use come from our personal experiences. When a friend or family member tells us about their day, and what has gone wrong to what is good, they are telling us how they want us to see them. As homonarians they are telling us their story. History shows us that all cultures use some kind of narrative to form stories and dances to tell about their tribes and cultures. Same as family stories that are passed down from generation to generation.
This facet of narrative states that professionalism at the work place provides many outlets to produce narratives that express who we are (Alder & Rodmen, 2009 ). In the professional world we are exposed to many different cultures that shape how we share are narratives. This includes higher education and any organization we belong to.
Why study or try to learn Narrative theory? There are many reasons why one would want to study narrative theory. One may want to understand how we as individuals see ourselves in this world, and we do this by telling our story as we see it. Another reason to learn or study narrative theories could be to learn how others see the stories or narratives from that person's point of view such to give them empathy or respect when needed or to weave it into their own lives by using Intertextualization creating a relationship with the person giving the narrative.
Part of interpersonal communication Communication narrative is used when a person is telling the story the other is the person listening to the story. The first person or the story teller is one that will try to get their point across to the listener by telling them about a series of events that lead up to an event or events. During this period the narrator will give account that may or may not pertain to the outcome or event.
The second person of the person that is listening to the story or narrative has the opportunity of asking questions. During this time the listener can uses their knowledge to make up their mind if the story being told is true or false. The listener may in turn interrupt or wait till the end of the first person’s narrative and start their own narrative to where the groups change places. Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to explore and comprehend the meaning of narrative theory. First, a brief history about the theory then about the core concepts. Storytelling has come along way from its origination. From the first caveman that put paintings on the walls of caves to tribal dances, and campfire stories to the present day Facebook and Twitter. How we give are narratives is like are society it’s continually changing from advancements in technology. Do not get confuse narrative communication with narratology. narratology is part of a literary theory not communication.
interpersonal communication
Narrative paradigm
Problematic Integration Theory
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Griffin, E. (2010). Communication a first look at communication theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill [2]
Alder, R, & Rodmen G.(2009) Unerderstanding Human Communication. Oxford, NY: Oxford [3]