Three narrative-based coding systems: innovative moments, ambivalence and ambivalence resolution

Narrative and dialogical perspectives suggest that personal meaning systems’ flexibility is an
important resource for change in psychotherapy. Drawn from these theoretical backgrounds,
a research program focused on the identification of Innovative Moments (IMs) - exceptions
to the inflexible meaning systems present in psychopathological suffering - has been carried
out. For this purpose, three process-oriented coding systems were developed: the Innovative
Moments Coding System (IMCS), the Ambivalence Coding System (ACS), and the
Ambivalence Resolution Coding System (ARCS). They allow, respectively, for the study of
change, ambivalence, and ambivalence resolution in therapy. This paper presents these
coding systems, the main findings that resulted from their application to different samples
and therapeutic models, the main current and future lines of research, as well as the clinical
applications of this research program.
This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology
(FCT) through the Post-doctoral Grants SFRH/BPD/108674/2015, SFRH/BPD/95859/2013,
SFRH/BPD/98196/2013, SFRH/BPD/84157/2012, and SFRH/BPD/80671/2011, and the
doctoral grants SFRH/BD/92408/2013, SFRH/BD/86808/2012, SFRH/BD/77324/2011,
SFRH /BD/ 88277/2012. This research was conducted at Psychology Research Centre
(UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation
for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher
Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under
the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653).