ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a comparison between a narrative-based approach and an approach influenced by Balint and the Balint tradition. It looks from a theoretical perspective at points of convergence and also at points of divergence between the two approaches. The chapter highlights the characteristics of a narrative-based approach. It shows how a narrative approach might offer a way forward for primary care, going beyond what the Balint tradition has to offer without devaluing the contribution it has made. Balint was one of the first people to understand the need for basic research to take place into the nature of general practice and the conversations that took place there. He conceptualised the activity of his GP seminars primarily as research aimed at continually generating new understanding and new theory. A narrative-based approach offers considerable difference from a Balintian approach. The following section addresses four interconnected areas where this appears to be the case. These are: questions, emotions, contexts and interpretations.
