Hammack & Pilecki (2012). Narrative as a root metaphor for Political Psychology - Article summary
The narratory principle states that humans, think, perceive, imagine and make moral choices according to narrative structures. This principle can resolve the analytic problem of linking mind and society.Narrative refers to the sensible organization of thought through language, internalized or externalized, which serves to create a sense of personal coherence and collective solidarity and to legitimize collective beliefs, emotions and actions.Narrative provides access to the current structure of identity, revealing the ideological and experiential content of memory and the motivational anchor for a set of social practices. Narrative engagement refers to the fact that members of a society engage with collective stories of what it means to inhabit a particular political entity (e.g. Dutch). This means that identity is rooted in texts that individuals construct to make sense of their lives.Narrative can be defined at two levels:Proximal levelNarrative describes a cognitive process of meaning-making and represents an organizing principle for human action. It consists in the mind for the individual.Multilevel definition of narrative (e.g. history of a nation).Narrative reveals the relevance of narrative at the collective level. This consists in the material world for the collective and the individual engages with this narrative.Narrative is anchored in four principles:Language, politics and thoughtThe mind is subject to received discourse and the nature of word meanings and storylines affect the way people think about the world.Personal coherenceThe mind seeks order in time and place and seeks for continuity which can be achieved through story-making.Meaning in solidarityAn individual is not a self-contained psychological entity but the need for continuity also exists within the community of shared practice.Mind in actionStory-making and narrative engagement are not passive endeavours. Mental processes occur through social practice...
Psychology Magala Dan contributed on 15-06-2022 01:42
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