NO STORY, NO ANALYSIS - THE ROLE OF NARRATIVE IN INTERPRETATION

The construction of narrative is closely linked to identity formation, or the establishment of a sense of self, with its attendant notions o f history and continuity and lineal development. Story-making within a nalysis is seen as being at the heart of symbolic process and of psych ic change. The story serves as a form of transitional object combining factual with imaginal, internal and external realities, and reflects our desire to internalize one another. With regard to clinical work, t his paper explores the following ideas specifically: the apparent abse nce of narrative in the analysis of some patients; the use of story as a defence in the service of a false self; how we differentiate 'true' and 'false' stories; and, lastly, the therapeutic value of reconstruc tion as a form of story making.