system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What does it mean when psychologists focus on the coherence of a story rather than the story itself?

I've been listening to Siegal's Mindsight and he mentioned this. What exactly is considered coherence? What are the indicators of a lack of coherence? And what do they suggest about a person?

In the chapter he is speaking specifically about trauma, and the ability for adults to tell their story coherently.
gpt
If you can come up with a coherent past story -- consistent, logical, easily followed and understood by the listener -- it means your rational brain is the one working. It suggests that you have already processed your past trauma, you thought about it, tried to understand what happened.

Incoherent story, on the other hand, is all over the place. It's either you're too emotional and you can't think properly or you're repressing/suppressing emotions that you skip important details.

Think of it as being very angry to your intimate partner. If you process your anger first and try to understand what made you angry, you can communicate your grievance in a clear and coherent manner with your partner. On the other hand, if you blurt out in anger, you say things you don't mean, you include issues that are not relevant. Your partner will also have a hard trying to follow what you're saying. Something like that.