The Role of Narratives in the Development of Stuttering as a Problem

Narratives are how people make sense of experiences and give meaning to their lives (Bruner, 1990). Use of narrative therapy (White, 2007) with people who stutter to facilitate the development of preferred stories (as opposed to problem-based stories) has been documented in the literature (Logan, 2013; Ryan, O'Dwyer, & Leahy, 2015). The purpose of this research was to explore the role of narratives in the development of stuttering as a problem for people who stutter. This research sought to describe how these narratives develop and to identify the factors that influence this development.

Narratives from 6 men who stutter were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the "Listening Guide" (Brown & Gilligan, 1992). This is a voice-centered relational method.

Findings indicate interaction between participants' narratives about stuttering and their wider self-narratives. Influencing factors identified include relationships, thoughts and feelings, and the dominant stories about stuttering in relevant social structures. An individual's consciousness of these influences was found to be integral to change in their narratives.

The findings point to the importance of considering the environment, including significant relationships and social structures, in our understanding of stuttering. They also provide insights regarding intrapersonal and interpersonal processes, which can influence the development of stuttering or pave the way to stuttering becoming less problematic for the person who stutters.