narrative, discourse, and psychology “NOT” Narrative Psychology Discursive Psychology Relational Psychology Dialogic “Science” Promises of turns to Discourse & Narrative Methodological implications what counts as “data” how to analyze those data Problems APA 2006 Division 24: Theory & Philosophy Michael Bamberg

Turn to narrative & discourse Taking issue with three dilemmas (aporias/illusions?) –the identity dilemma How can we construct ourselves as same in the face of constant change? –the uniqueness dilemma How can we construct ourselves as (radically) different (same) from others in the face of commonality/sameness (difference)? –the construction dilemma (who’s in charge?) How can we construct ourselves in light of being constantly (or “always-already”) constructed? –world-to-person direction of fit –person-to-world direction of fit Integration + Differentiation

the depiction of ambiguity ‘lenses’ and ‘dialectics’ –figure & ground > –“what makes the vase makes the two faces” –what/who is “behind” taking a particular perspective?

the construction business Viewing the person as actively + agentively involved Taking the personal, local, subjective perspective Taking the communal, social and historical as “built into” the local, contextual practices Viewing identity as constantly (re-)constructed (and open to change) With communicative (discursive) practices as the sites where these constructions take place - where a sense of self and a sense of ‘the other’ emerge - where a sense of constancy + change can co-exist

Discourse Two traditions –A more cognitive/conceptual orientation as interested in the discursive devices (formal properties) –as resources or as products? {‘Discourse Processes’} –A more constructionist/process oriented perspective as interested in the production of formal devices and repertoires - how these devices are made use of ((their contextual and emergent properties)) {‘ Discourse Studies’ ; ‘ Discourse & Society’ } Both with different research agenda

Discourse - perspective II narrative as a ‘special kind of discourse’ discourse - talk - interaction as “real” as possible “real” - mundane, everyday, situated (contextual), local, communal practices that’s where notions (“illusions”?) of selves, continuity, differences (+ sameness + uniquiness) come together (emerge) with ‘talk’ as the central site

The centrality of discourse Talk/Discourse: –grammar/syntax; lexicon; pronunciation; intonation (contours) (prosody); segmentation (pauses, silences); gaze; gestures; bodies discourse “über alles” - ‘not everything is discourse’ phenomena analyzed (in concert) in the service of ‘doing talk’ in order to do interactive, relational, conversational, dialogic business --- within which these impressions of sameness, continuity + difference, otherness emerge - as interactional accomplishments A radically empirical program

Narrative “the narrative perspective” Choice between two perspectives –A more cognitive/conceptual orientation as interested in lives and experiences of people –as resources or as products? –A more constructionist/process oriented perspective as interested in the production of lives and experiences - and sense of self as a process Both with different research agenda

Narrative - perspective I Stories and a ‘sense of self’ (identity/subjectivity) –In stories people come to express (re-present) their experience/life and through that their sense of continuity + change (the unity of character, time + place - formed into a coherent whole) consisting of pre-formed plot lines with individually experienced events woven into them –In stories people form/construct their sense of continuity (stories as facilitators to form representations of self as coherent) - a more constructivist view Both pay little attention to the situated, interactive, local dimensions of ‘discourse’ Narrative as a ‘discourse genre’ (perspective II) stories as accomplishing interactive business

Narrative as discursive practices - perspective II stories as interactive (dialogical) accounting language forms and discursive devices used to accomplish interactive accounting –interviews (clinical or biographic): no exception! no direct link from the use of particular language/discourse to the mind/inner self all interpretation has to go through an analysis of the devices used to accomplish local, interactive business dealing more with the non-interview-elicited conversations