Hubert J. M. Hermans
Bakhtin's (1973) polyphonic novel serves as a metaphor for a dialogical conception of the self. In line with this metaphor, it is argued that a narrative approach leads to a multivoiced conception of the self, in which the poles of a personal construct are related as opposing characters positioned in an imaginal space. In this space the I fluctuates among positions in a dialogical fashion. Two main features of the relation between positions are discussed: intersubjective communication and dominance. These features form the basis of a theory and methodology that has led to the discovery of a particular phenomenon, dominance reversal. This phenomenon represents a radical change in the dominance relation of contrasting positions within a limited time period, with an apparent absence of causal factors accounting for this change. The implications of this phenomenon for the organization and reorganization of the self are discussed.
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