NEWLYWEDS TELL THEIR STORIES - A NARRATIVE METHOD FOR ASSESSING MARITAL EXPERIENCES

This article describes three coding systems used to analyze systematic ally joint narratives told by 344 black and white newlywed couples abo ut the 'story of their relationship', as part of a program of study of the early years of marriage. The first coding system of these account s captures the affects mentioned in the stories; the second assesses h usband-wife interactions in telling the stories; and the third identif ies styles and themes characterizing both the overall story and specif ic substories within the narratives. A summary of results based on the se coding schemes is outlined. Several narrative measures were found t o be related to marital quality over time. A number of these measures help clarify ways in which black couples (n = 176) in comparison to wh ite couples (n = 167) are alike and ways in which they are different. We discuss the role of these coding schemes for capturing 'meaning-mak ing' in story construction. In addition, we illustrate the possibility for analyzing changes in narrative memory and its connection to affec tive development in people.