Name of Concept
We-Story
Synonyms
Couple narratives, Relational mutuality
Introduction
A We-story is a shared narrative between the members of a couple that defines and guides their relationship. Such a story reflects the mutual investment partners have in each other (their sense of “we-ness”) and is increasingly seen as an essential building block for health and resilient relationships (Godwin et al. 2013; Kayser et al. 2007; Rohrbaugh et al. 2012; Skerrett 2013; Skerrett and Fergus 2015). We-stories are powerful vehicles for experiencing and cultivating We-ness in relationships. When couples look at how they narrate their separate and shared lives, and how they use stories as forceful communications to each other, they begin to see the hold that stories have over their emotions and feelings of trust.
We-ness represents a fundamental shift in mindset that involves reciprocity and the ability to take into account the perspective of the other (Skerrett 2003, 2004). Fundamentally, it is...
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Skerrett, K., Singer, J. (2019). We-Stories in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_963
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_963
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