Теоретические основы и результаты апробации техники нарративного анализа культурного опыта человека

Abstract

The present study investigates the role of culture in the construction of an individual life’s narrative. In order to carry out the research, the author designed and tested the technique of narrative analysis of human and cultural interaction. The method is based on the concepts of standard dramatic situations, structuralist statements about universal sequences of events in the structure of cultural narratives combined with the concept of inextricable connection between a person’s individual history and the socio-cultural context of his life. The method was tested on a sample of 223 people, including 133 teenagers and 90 adults. As a result, four types of storylines were empirically identified, with a journey being the dominant theme in all of them. The first type of journey is associated with a test of the hero’s personality and the acquisition of a new quality. This journey mainly affects the hero’s inner world. Another type of journey involves a return to the original conditions previously violated by some circumstances, restoring homeostasis and finding harmony. Such journeys mainly affect the external objective world. The ascent of the hero indicates a journey that primarily affects the external social world. The fourth type of storyline is more likely to establish the social context of the journey, an emotional sign of other people’s participation in it. The outcomes of the study suggest that cultural stories that are significant for an individual form a space for modelling ways of coping with extreme conditions and difficult life situations, while significant personal stories are linked to the experiences of happiness, psychological comfort and well-being.