Essentials of Discursive Psychology

by McMullen, Linda M.

• ISBN13: 9781433834639
• ISBN10: 1433834634
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2021-05-25
• Publisher: American Psychological Association

Summary

The brief, practical texts in the Essentials of Qualitative Methods series introduce social science and psychology researchers to key approaches to capturing phenomena not easily measured quantitatively, offering exciting, nimble opportunities to gather in-depth qualitative data.
 
In this step-by-step guide to conducting a research study, Linda McMullen describes the innovative ways in which discursive psychology analyzes language at both the micro and macro levels.
 
Discursive psychologists reconceptualize talk and text as being situated in a social context, rather than thinking of talk as a route to our thoughts. For example, this approach could be used to study how people use arguments for and against the notion of human-induced climate change, or how they criticize each other in face-to-face encounters.
 
About the Essentials of Qualitative Methods book series: Even for experienced researchers, selecting and correctly applying the right method can be challenging. In this groundbreaking series, leading experts in qualitative methods provide clear, crisp, and comprehensive descriptions of their approach, including its methodological integrity, and its benefits and limitations. Each book includes numerous examples to enable readers to quickly and thoroughly grasp how to leverage these valuable methods.
 

Author Biography

Linda M. McMullen is professor emerita of psychology at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) and is co-author of Five Ways of Doing Qualitative Analysis: Phenomenological Psychology, Grounded Theory, Discourse Analysis, Narrative Research, and Intuitive Inquiry and co-editor of Situating Sadness: Women and Depression in Social Context. Her recent publications include discursive analyses of service providers’ and service users’ accounts of depression and the use of antidepressants. She has served as president of the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (a section of the Division of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of the American Psychological Association).

 

Table of Contents

Series Foreword—Clara E. Hill and Sarah Knox
1. Conceptual Foundations of Discursive Psychology
What Is Discourse, and What Is Discourse Analysis?
What Is Discursive Psychology, and What Is Critical Discursive Psychology?
Why Choose Discursive Psychology, and What Does This Choice Entail?
What Are Some Major Components of Discursive Psychology?
Deciding Whether to Use This Methodology
2. Designing a Study
Stating the Topic and Engaging in Initial Searches of Literatures
Framing the Research Question(s)
Determining What Type of Data to Collect or Generate to Address Your Research Questions
3. Collecting and Generating Data
Collecting Archival or Already Existing Data
Generating Data From Interviews or Focus Groups
4. Analyzing Your Data
A Process of Data Analysis
Examples of Detailed Analyses of Extracts of Data
Concluding Comments on Analyzing Your Data
5. Disseminating Your Research
Preparing a Manuscript for Publication in a Journal
Beyond the Manuscript
6. What Constitutes Good Discursive Research?
Documentation
Demonstration
Plausibility
Coherence
Fruitfulness
7. Ongoing Conversations
Questions of Ethics
Questions Related to Conceptual Advancements and Methodological Innovations
Final Thoughts
Appendix A: Exemplar Studies
Appendix B: Commonly Used Transcription Notations
Appendix C: Examples of Discursive Devices and Resources
References
Index
About the Author
About the Series Editors