Negotiating master narratives: The practice of ‘counterstorying’ in children's personal narratives about family‐related adversities

Abstract Only limited attention has been drawn to children's narrative practice of negotiating cultural ideas about who they are and what can do. This paper focuses on children living in families where adults have psychosocial problems analyses how negotiate different family‐related and/or societal master narratives their identity agency. Twenty‐two children, 6–17 years old, interviewed themselves lives. The findings suggest three as central telling: the story child problem bearer, inheritor an unknowledgeable object. analysis shows that these by positioning repositioning others in, through, telling. core contribution study is notion descriptions contain important information both material discursive aspects problematic situation. Through listening stories, social work practitioners researchers deepen understanding individual relates to, negotiates, wider knowledge relevant pursuit matching support with child's needs perspective.