Is the use of life history and narrative in clinical practice fundable as research?

L ife hisrory research represenrs one of rhe many merhodologies rhar fall under che moce general rubric of qualiracive research. Specifically, life hisrory and narracive analysis involve che use of discourse ro scudy human performance. This research merhod provides a rich descripcion of a person's represenracion of meaningful experiences and evems. The major source of dara is rhe inrerview, which resulcs in copious rranscripcs rhac are coded, analyzed. and imerpreced as meaningful chemes or plms. This analysis culminares in a narrarive accounr of che meaning of experiences for a panicular person chac is joimly creared by che person and che researcher. The accuracy of rhe resulcing narrative is judged by how closely ir marches rhe inrenrions of rhe sroryreller (Polkinghorne, 1988). We have seen examples of rhe use of life hisrory and narrarive analysis in rhe occuparional rherapy lirerarure (e.g., Clark, 1993; Frank, 1984; McCuaig & Frank, 1991). For example, lasr momh's special issue of rhe American journal ofOccupational Therapy, 50(4), provided rhe reader wirh several life hisrary and narracive repons relevan r ro rhe pracrice of occuparional cherapy. Anorher example of rhe use of life hisrory and narrarive research merhods can be found in Clark's 1993 Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecrure (Clark, 1993). Imelwoven chroughouc chis eloquenr leccure was che srory of a woman coping wirh a newly acquired disabiliry. Through che excel1sive use of imerview and personal conran wich her c1iem (and friend), Clark developed a life hisrory and narrarive rhar derailed chis