Emotion and Narrative

Tilmann Habermas teaches psychoanalysis at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main, Germany. His work on the development of the life story in adolescence has evolved into a sixteen-year longitudinal study of life narratives.

• 1. Emotions; Part I. Emotions in Oral Autobiographical Narratives: 2. Narrative structure; 3. Narrative evaluations; 4. Narrative perspectives; Part II. How Narratives Evoke Emotions: 5. Kinds of emotional effects of narratives; 6. Narrative perspectives guide recipient emotions; 7. Context and incongruencies also affect emotional response; Part III. Narratives Reflect Defense Against Emotions, and Narrating Helps Cope with Them; 8. Narratives reflect narrators' ability to bear emotions; 9. The healing power of narrating; 10. Working through by narrating experiences repeatedly; Part IV. Transformative Co-Narratives by Parents and Therapists: 11. Co-narrating emotional events; 12. Co-narrating in psychotherapy; 13. Narrative perspectives in emotions; References; Index.

'In this highly engaging and interdisciplinary book, Habermas integrates philosophy, linguistics, psychology, and psychoanalysis to explore the intersection of emotion and narrative as fundamental to human communication. Narratives both form and transform our emotional experience; Habermas weaves a compelling story that places emotion at the center of human interaction.' Robyn Fivush, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology, Emory University, Georgia