In the context of thematic analysis in psychology, how does deductive reasoning complement narrative analysis when interpreting qualitative data?

Deductive reasoning starts with a theory or hypothesis and looks for evidence of it in the data. Narrative analysis, on the other hand, follows how participants weave their experiences into stories. By using both, a researcher can test whether the predicted themes appear while also respecting the way each story is told. For example, a psychologist might search for the theme of “resilience” that theory predicts, then examine how each patient’s narrative frames that resilience. This combination keeps the analysis both theory‑driven and deeply grounded in the participants’ own accounts.