Narrative
An Avatar.Global Resource
Narrative
A Narrative is a story, particularly one that is designed to influence thought and action. Narratives typically consist of characters, plot-lines, and archetypes.
Syncretic Terms
Related LP Terms
Non-LP Related Terms
Notes
Narratives are stories. Humans are a species of story tellers. Storytelling is a human universal[1] Storytelling emerges spontaneously in childhood and continues throughout one’s entire life.[2]
Story telling is generally functional for humanity, evolving as a way to ensure contributing to human adaptation by providing several key functions, including mechanisms for internal communication,[3] mechanisms to convey information and expectations on social behaviours, norms and values and taboos, mechanisms for healing rifts and understanding others,[4] and mechanisms to ensure human cooperation.
We can call stories used as mechanism to convey information, expectations, or to heal rifts and encourage understanding and cooperation Functional Functional Narratives. Functional narratives are narratives that perform useful functions, like conveying information, reinforcing norms and values, healing social rifts, etc.
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Footnotes
- ↑ D.E. Brown, Human Universals (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991).
- ↑ Daniel Smith et al., “Cooperation and the Evolution of Hunter-Gatherer Storytelling,” Nature Communications 8, no. 1 (December 5, 2017): 1853, doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02036-8.
- ↑ Megan Biesele, “How Hunter-Gatherers’ Stories ‘Make Sense’: Semantics and Adaptation,” Cultural Anthropology 1, no. 2 (May 1, 1986): 157–70, doi:10.1525/can.1986.1.2.02a00030
- ↑ olly W. Wiessner, “Embers of Society: Firelight Talk among the Ju/’hoansi Bushmen,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111, no. 39 (September 30, 2014): 14027–35, doi:10.1073/pnas.1404212111.