How they work
They ask for detail about a process, which encourages self-reflection, and are written in a way which minimises self-censorship – in the third person.
When to use them
They work best for purchasing or usage processes or situations, where the respondent is the main actor in the situation.
Timing and Preparation
Pens and blank sheets of paper -anywhere between 10- 20 minutes. And literate respondents…
How to do it
Give them a title e.g. ‘Buying jeans’ and ask them to write as much or as little as they want, writing about themselves in the third person.
They are to see themselves as a main character in a play or a film, being observed by somebody who knows them really well. Give them an example of a starting sentence such as ‘(Own name e.g. Joanna was buying a new pair of jeans that afternoon, because…..)
As the self-scripts are often quite detailed and clear it is not always necessary to have respondents talk about them afterwards, but you can ask if they discovered anything about themselves that they weren’t aware of previously.
Analysis
Pay attention to the language used and map out frequently occurring patterns in the processes.
Pitfalls
You may be unlucky enough to get an illiterate respondent, or you may be disappointed that some of the stories offer no real insights.
