A Narrative-Discursive Approach to Everyday Stories michael bamberg Clark University Department of Psychology

Three Kinds of Narrative Approaches Life-Story Approaches Life-Story Approaches Life-Event Approaches Life-Event Approaches “Small” Stories “Small” Stories Short narrative accounts Short narrative accounts Embedded in every-day interactions Embedded in every-day interactions Unnoticed as ‘stories’ by the participants Unnoticed as ‘stories’ by the participants Unnoticed as ‘narratives’ by researchers Unnoticed as ‘narratives’ by researchers But highly relevant for identity formation processes But highly relevant for identity formation processes

Life-Stories + Life-Events Life-Stories Life-Stories Dan McAdams (1993) + Gabi Rosenthal (1998) Dan McAdams (1993) + Gabi Rosenthal (1998) Elicitation Technique Elicitation Technique Analysis of lives Analysis of lives Focus on coherence + health Focus on coherence + health Life-Events Most narrative research Elicitation is focused on particular events or experiences Analysis of focused area Meaning of event in one’s life

Merits of narrative life research Accentuates and brings to light lived experience Accentuates and brings to light lived experience Forces participants to focus on the meaning of THAT event in their lives Forces participants to focus on the meaning of THAT event in their lives Accentuates the continuity of experience Accentuates the continuity of experience And sheds light on aspects that appear discontinuous And sheds light on aspects that appear discontinuous Assumes a unified sense of personal identity -- against which ‘experience’ is constantly sorted out Assumes a unified sense of personal identity -- against which ‘experience’ is constantly sorted out

potential shortcomings or open questions How does this ‘unified sense of self’ come to existence? How does this ‘unified sense of self’ come to existence? How does the person ‘learn’ to “sort out” events against what is called ‘life’? How does the person ‘learn’ to “sort out” events against what is called ‘life’? Overemphasis of stories about the ‘self’ Overemphasis of stories about the ‘self’ Cutting out all those stories about others Cutting out all those stories about others Overemphasis of ‘long’ stories Overemphasis of ‘long’ stories Cutting out everyday, “small” stories Cutting out everyday, “small” stories

why? Influences of ‘traditional’ psychological inquiry Influences of ‘traditional’ psychological inquiry Interests in selves + self-coherence Interests in selves + self-coherence Influences of traditional narratology Influences of traditional narratology Work with texts (written texts) Work with texts (written texts) Assuming authors as behind the texts Assuming authors as behind the texts Assuming criteria of goodness for narratives Assuming criteria of goodness for narratives Interviews as windows into selves Interviews as windows into selves

Narrative Dimensions (Ochs & Capps, 2001) Tellership Tellership one active teller vs. many one active teller vs. many Tellability Tellability high vs. low high vs. low Embeddedness Embeddedness detached from surrounding talk vs. situational embeddedness detached from surrounding talk vs. situational embeddedness Moral stance Moral stance one moral message vs. different + conflicting messages one moral message vs. different + conflicting messages Linearity & Temporality Linearity & Temporality closed temporal + causal order vs. open + spatial closed temporal + causal order vs. open + spatial

with this in mind: Let’s turn to SMALL stories Characteristics of “small” stories Characteristics of “small” stories Functions of “small” stories Functions of “small” stories in everyday conversations in everyday conversations in the process of identity formation in the process of identity formation in learning to present ‘coherent’ selves in learning to present ‘coherent’ selves What these small stories accomplish in everyday situations What these small stories accomplish in everyday situations

Stories about others: the Davie Hogan story Positioning with Davie Hogan. Stories, Tellings & Identities. In C. Daiute & C. Lightfoot (Eds.), Narrative analysis: Studying the development of individuals in society. London: Sage. (2003)

Topic: gay kids at school J: actually I know a few of them I don’t know them but I’ve seen them Ed how can you tell they’re gay Alex yeah you can’t really tell J: no like how do I know they’re gay Ed yeah J: well he’s an 11th grade student the kid I know I’m not gonna mention names Ed alright who are they (raising both hands up) J: okay um and I’m in a class with mostly 11th graders Josh: and his name is (rising intonation)

ah and and ah and um a girl who is umm very honest and nice she has she has a locker right next to him and she said he talked about how he is gay a lot when she’s there not with her like um so that’s how I know and he um associates with um a lot of girls not many boys a lot of the a few of the gay kids at Cassidy

Pre-Story Negotiation + Fine Tuning Pre-Negotiations Pre-Negotiations “I don’t know them but I’ve seen them” “I don’t know them but I’ve seen them” Challenge: “how do you know?” Challenge: “how do you know?” “how do I know they’re gay?” “how do I know they’re gay?” “he’s an 11th-grader” + “I’m in a class with 11th-graders” “he’s an 11th-grader” + “I’m in a class with 11th-graders” Fine-Tuning Fine-Tuning Why does he claim not to “know” them (and only having “seen” them)? Why does he claim not to “know” them (and only having “seen” them)? Why is his witness “honest” + “nice” Why is his witness “honest” + “nice” Why is she “a girl”? Why is she “a girl”? Why is the gay boy not talking to her ? Why is the gay boy not talking to her ? Why is he ‘mentioning’ that the gay boy “associates with a lot of girls” rather than boys? Why is he ‘mentioning’ that the gay boy “associates with a lot of girls” rather than boys?

Positioning Vis-à-vis his audience Vis-à-vis his audience I know about gays I know about gays I’m not “close to them” (= don’t get the wrong idea!!!) I’m not “close to them” (= don’t get the wrong idea!!!) Vis-à-vis the master-narratives of heterosexuality + liberal discourse Vis-à-vis the master-narratives of heterosexuality + liberal discourse Gays as ‘others’ Gays as ‘others’ Self as tolerant person Self as tolerant person Vis-à-vis a ‘sense of self’ Vis-à-vis a ‘sense of self’ Practicing/working toward/testing out a sense of “this is me” Practicing/working toward/testing out a sense of “this is me”

Characteristics of “SMALL” stories Short Short Conversationally Embedded + Negotiated Conversationally Embedded + Negotiated before before during during after after Fine tuned positioning strategies Fine tuned positioning strategies fine-tuned vis-à-vis the audience fine-tuned vis-à-vis the audience fine-tuned vis-à-vis dominant + counter narratives fine-tuned vis-à-vis dominant + counter narratives multiple moral stances (testing out and experimenting with identity projections ) multiple moral stances (testing out and experimenting with identity projections ) Low in tellability, linearity, temporality + causality Low in tellability, linearity, temporality + causality

Functions of “SMALL” stories Practice in doing identity work Practice in doing identity work Continuous editing of experience Continuous editing of experience Retelling of experience Retelling of experience Re-tuning these tellings according to Re-tuning these tellings according to different audiences different audiences Different master-narratives Different master-narratives different (developing) senses of ‘who-I-am’ different (developing) senses of ‘who-I-am’ Resulting in some sense of coherence Resulting in some sense of coherence though one that is constantly reworked though one that is constantly reworked

conclusion So, rather than assuming the existence of identity + sense of self – and viewing narratives as reflections thereof, I am suggesting to study the emergence of a sense of self by way of exploring the SMALL stories people tell in their EVERYDAY interactions So, rather than assuming the existence of identity + sense of self – and viewing narratives as reflections thereof, I am suggesting to study the emergence of a sense of self by way of exploring the SMALL stories people tell in their EVERYDAY interactions