Our everyday lives are enmeshed in storytelling: the stories we tell about our memories, the people we know, and the world we inhabit; those we tell about our families and communities; and the narratives we encounter in books, movies, and television. Narrative structures how we view ourselves and everything around us.In The Narrative Complexity of Ordinary Life, William L. Randall shows how concepts central to the study of narrative psychology--such as narrative development and the interrelation between narrative and identity, cognition, and development--are integral to everyday life. He makes the case that all people function as narrative psychologists by continually storying their lives in memory and imagination, as well as speculating on the stories that others may be living, a process that Randall refers to as storyotyping.Relying heavily on narrative, Randall draws from experiences in his own life to illustrate various concepts in narrative psychology. His inquiry leads him to the topics of gossip, rumor, and the narrative complexity of nostalgia. In doing so, he makes the case that all people function as narrative psychologists by continually storying - or, cementing - their lives in memory and imagination, a process Randall refers to as "storyotyping".

The Narrative Complexity of Ordinary Life: Tales from the Coffee Shop (Explorations in Narrative Psychology)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Randall, William L.

Psychology & Counseling

Oxford University Press

Against the background of Socrates' insight that the unexamined life is not worth living, Reading Our Lives: The Poetics of Growing Old investigates the often overlooked inside dimensions of aging. Despite popular portrayals of mid- and later life as entailing inevitable decline, this book looks at aging as, potentially, a process of poiesis: a creative endeavor of fashioning meaning from the ever-accumulating texts - memories and reflections-that constitute our inner worlds. At its center is the conviction that although we are constantly reading our lives to some degree anyway, doing so in a mindful matter is critical to our development in the second half of life. Drawing on research in numerous disciplines affected by the so-called narrative turn - including cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and the psychology of aging - authors Randall and McKim articulate a vision of aging that promises to accommodate such time-honored concepts as wisdom and spirituality: one that understands aging as a matter not merely of getting old but of consciously growing old.

Reading Our Lives: The Poetics of Growing Old

McKim, Elizabeth

Our everyday lives are enmeshed in storytelling: the stories we tell about our memories, the people we know, and the world we inhabit; those we tell about our families and communities; and the narratives we encounter in books, movies, and television. Narrative structures how we view ourselves and everything around us. In The Narrative Complexity of Ordinary Life, William L. Randall shows how concepts central to the study of narrative psychology--such as narrative development and the interrelation between narrative and identity, cognition, and development--are integral to everyday life. He makes the case that all people function as narrative psychologists by continually storying their lives in memory and imagination, as well as speculating on the stories that others may be living, a process that Randall refers to as storyotyping. Relying heavily on narrative, Randall draws from experiences in his own life to illustrate various concepts in narrative psychology. His inquiry leads him to the topics of gossip, rumor, and the narrative complexity of nostalgia. In doing so, he makes the case that all people function as narrative psychologists by continually storying - or, cementing - their lives in memory and imagination, a process Randall refers to as "storyotyping".

Review\n"Fairy Tale Wisdom contains the personal reflections of three sensitive and intelligent people on a few of the great stories. They put themselves into the tales, or put the tales in them, and offer ways to both appreciate important narratives and make sense of your life, especially as you grow older. I like most the sincere probing that goes on in the reflections of these extraordinary authors." 
— Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and Soul Therapy\n"A refreshing, new and practical approach to traditional stories. Now as elders, the authors return to tales that affected them in childhood, and reflect on the evolving impact the tales had on them. Their comments move from personal history to the perennial questions that inevitably arise, such as the meaning of tragedy and chance in life. Their approach invites sharing with other people and would be invaluable in seminars and workshops." 
— Allan Chinen, M.D., author of In the Ever After and Once Upon a Midlife\n"This revelation of a book invites us to view narratives that formed us in childhood through the lens of maturity. What a pleasure to think about how life has changed us and what matters to us most now. An important and fun contribution to the conscious aging genre." 
— Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., author of The Making of an Old Soul\n"Fairy tales are for all of us. I am simply thrilled by your book and can't wait to share some of the stories with our granddaughters. Fairy Tale Wisdom is an indispensable contribution to this field of work." 
— Harry (Rick) Moody, Ph. D., retired VP for Academic Affairs, AARP\n"This unique and delightful book challenges the reader to pack a bag full of familiar tales and plot lines and travel into the turbulent currents of time's quaint stream. Reading it, I became an active traveler who, along with the three writers, found myself navigating, reinterpreting and reimagining the intersections of stories and self over a lifetime. It's not a book that tells you how to achieve growth and wisdom through age but that brings you along for the ride." 
— Kate de Medeiros, Ph.D., author of Narrative Gerontology in Research and Practice\n"After reading Fairy Tale Wisdom, I doubt you'll see your life or fairy tales in the same way again. The authors' mutual love of and belief in the power of stories to enrich and shape our lives shines through every page. Deeply personal, illuminating the wisdom of each author as they reflect on their chosen tales, you'll find guideposts to help you mine your own stories. Poignant yet playful, this is a beautifully written, evocative book that you can and should pull from your shelf again and again. It is a wonderful meditation on the art of growing older and proof that fairy tales are truly for children of all ages!" 
— Karen Skerrett, Ph.D., Psychologist, Consultant, and author of Growing Married\n"An inspiring, fanciful, and most valuable new resource for exploring later life, Fairy Tale Wisdom is, in the authors' words, 'a way to the light' and thereby serves as an important counterweight to those images of darkness and decline that so often characterize the process of growing old." 
— Mark Freeman, Ph.D., author of Hindsight: The Promise and Peril of Looking Backward\n"This is a fascinating journey through the lens of childhood fairy tales, from a soulful exploration of the authors' life stories to the potential wisdom of later life." 
— Gary Irwin-Kenyon, Ph.D., author of Pathways to Stillness\n"Convene three septuagenarians who decide to revise some of the moral tales that informed their earlier lives, and you have an intriguing prospect. In the words of Nick Thompson, an Apache elder: 'This is what we know about our stories. They go to work on your mind and make you think about your life.' Nothing could more aptly describe how each author thinks about their lives from the perspective they share — their seniority." 
— David Epston, co-author of Reimagining Narrative Therapy through Practice Stories and Autoethnog

Fairy Tale Wisdom: Stories for the Second Half of Life

Politics & Social Sciences

Achenbaum, W. Andrew

Lewis, Barbara

Social Sciences

ElderPress Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Randall, William L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Randall, William L.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Randall, William L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Narrative Complexity of Ordinary Life: Tales from the Coffee Shop (Explorations in Narrative Psychology)

Reading Our Lives: The Poetics of Growing Old

The Narrative Complexity of Ordinary Life: Tales from the Coffee Shop (Explorations in Narrative Psychology)

Fairy Tale Wisdom: Stories for the Second Half of Life