STORYTELLING IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS - THE CONSTRUCTION OF CONFIDENCE

This article explores the narratives that individuals construct about their romantic partners. The authors believe that individuals weave st ories that encapsulate or defuse negativity, such as evidence of an in timate's faults. Such storytelling essentially masks feelings of uncer tainty engendered by the specter of negativity and thus bolsters felt confidence. The paradigm used for examining narrative construction is described and the postulates or principles guiding the storytellin pro cess are outlined. A discussion follows of how individuals integrate a nd defuse negativity within positive stories about their partners. The article concludes by exploring the content and structure of confidenc e-instilling narratives.