Blivens Abbott Reflection

"It is only through narrative that we know ourselves as active entities that operate through time."
"All I want to do is tell the truth about myself." -- H. Porter Abbott

                   

     Much of our self-concept is based on our perception of who we are in relation to others and the world around us. Both of the quotes from Abbott illustrate the role narratives play in the development of our self-concept overtime. The history of the human race is a series of stories that we connect overtime. When reading about our history or even watching the history channel it’s the stories that standout to me the most. The narrative of our country contains clear stories that shape our history. 

    

     On a personal level our self-concept connects to the stories we tell about ourselves, shape our identity, and our perception of the events in our lives. Part of Knapp’s stages of relationship model deals with the stories we tell in relationships. These stories include how we met, got engaged, and in some cases why it ended. He asserts that the stories we tell about the relationship shape our perceptions of happened. These stories change over time and as the relationship grows, matures, and sometimes decays the stories change. For example if a relationship ends the story about the ‘wedding day’ may be framed differently. Each one of the stories fluctuations overtime and can affect our perception of the events in our lives. We get a better understanding of who we are through the narratives we tell about ourselves.

  

     If we look to the autobiographical nature narratives play it demonstrates Abbott’s point. Autobiographies of public figures are popular for several reasons. It gives the writer control over their life narrative including which stories are conveyed and ‘how’ they are shared.  The reader gets an inside look of the writer’s perception of  their life story. Narratives in this case let us share who we are with others.