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

This article describes three coding systems used to analyze systematically joint narratives told by 344 black and white newlywed couples about the 'story of their relationship', as part of a program of study of the early years of marriage. The first coding system of these accounts captures the affects mentioned in the stories; the second assesses husband-wife interactions in telling the stories; and the third identifies styles and themes characterizing both the overall story and specific substories within the narratives. A summary of results based on these coding schemes is outlined. Several narrative measures were found to be related to marital quality over time. A number of these measures help clarify ways in which black couples (n = 176) in comparison to white couples (n = 167) are alike and ways in which they are different. We discuss the role of these coding schemes for capturing 'meaning-making' in story construction. In addition, we illustrate the possibility for analyzing changes in narrative memory and its connection to affective development in people.