Narrative Theory Research Articles

Talking about borderline personality disorder, shaping care: The multiple doings of narratives.

This article focuses on the narratives that circulate about borderline personality disorder (BPD) in health-care settings in Australia and the effects such narratives can have on how people practice and seek out care. People with a BPD diagnosis frequently access health-care services, often encountering stigma and discrimination. Drawing on narrative theory, we critically unpack the circulation and capacities of BPD narratives and the ways they can often contribute to poor and troubling experiences. This article is based on qualitative interviews with people living with a BPD diagnosis, as well as health practitioners who work with people with a BPD diagnosis. Our findings identified insidious and powerful BPD narratives that circulate in health-care settings, particularly in short-term, acute, or non-specialist contexts, such as emergency departments and in-patient units. These narratives influenced the ways that participants both practiced and sought out care. To improve health service quality for people with a BPD diagnosis, or those experiencing mental distress, it is important to challenge the sociocultural-political norms and relations that can influence approaches to care and practice. Disrupting and reframing negative BPD narratives and raising awareness about the impact of stories that are told about BPD have the potential to generate social change.

Report on the 7th International Workshop on Narrative Extraction from Texts (Text2Story 2024) at ECIR 2024

The Seventh International Workshop on Narrative Extraction from Texts (Text2Story'24) was held on March 24 th , 2024, in conjunction with the 46 th European Conference on Information Retrieval (ECIR 2024) in Glasgow, Scotland. Over the day, more than 50 attendees engaged in discussions and presentations focused on recent advancements in narrative representation, extraction, and generation. The workshop featured two invited keynote addresses, fourteen research paper presentations, and a poster session. The workshop proceedings are available online. 1 Date : 24 March 2024. Website : https://text2story24.inesctec.pt/.

Anthropology in times of escalating conflicts

Escalating conflicts often lead to the proliferation of oversimplified narratives and intense pressure to conform to them. Anthropology can play a crucial role in such situations by (1) analysing the origins and mechanisms of enforcement of these narratives across various contexts, providing a more nuanced understanding of the conflict's dynamics; (2) challenging dominant framings of specific aspects of the conflict by producing contextualized knowledge, thereby offering alternative perspectives and insights; and (3) highlighting narratives that acknowledge the responsibility of the involved actors and explore new possibilities for political co‐existence. To illustrate these points, this guest editorial applies narrative conflict theory to the violence between Israelis and Palestinians since 7 October 2023 and invites readers to reflect on the discipline's responsibilities and methods in the face of the normalization of war and annihilation.

REPRESENTATION OF BALINESE CULTURE IN GUN GUN’S MAHABHARATA EPIC PUPPET COMIC

The Mahabharata epic is better known to people in Bali, especially in shadow puppet plays. However, since 1955, the Mahabharata epic has been presented in the form of comics. This way of storytelling continued until 2014 with the printing of the Mahabharata epic puppet comic by Gun Gun, which presents Balinese cultural icons. This research aims to describe the representation of Balinese culture in Gun Gun’s Mahabharata epic puppet comic. The research method employed a critical qualitative design. Data collection was conducted through observation, interview, and literature study. The theories utilised are comic theory, hegemony theory, representation theory, and articulation theory. The findings indicate that Gun Gun’s Mahabharata epic puppet comic employs three forms of Balinese cultural representation. The three forms are as follows: (1) visual representation, whereby characters and backgrounds are depicted in comics in a manner that evokes Balinese architecture, including wantilan, pura, and togog; (2) verbal representation, which is evidenced by the presence of Balinese vocabulary in the dialogue of the characters, such as om swastiastu, kerahayuan, yadnya, Hyang Widhi, and darma; and (3) narrative representation, which is evident in the explicit portrayal of Hindu teachings, including karma phala. The dialogue of the characters, such as om swastiastu, kerahayuan, yadnya, Hyang Widhi, and darma, and the narrative representation that shows explicitly the teachings of Hinduism, such as karma phala, are also forms of cultural representation. The study of Balinese cultural representation in the Mahabharata epic comic contributes to the understanding that comics also serve as a medium for the adaptation of external cultural influences, thereby reinforcing Balinese identity. Keywords: Balinese culture, Mahabharata epic, comics, representation, Balinese identity

Advancing Organizational Science With Computational Process Theories

Organizational scholars commonly refer to organizations as complex systems unfolding as a function of work processes. Consequently, the direct study of work processes necessitates our attention. However, organizational scholars tend not to study work processes directly. Instead, organizational scholars commonly develop theories about relationships among psychological construct phenomena that indirectly reference people’s affective, behavioral, cognitive, and/or social processes as underlying explanations. Specifically, construct-oriented theories summarize processes in operation across actors, time, and contexts, and thus, provide limited insights into how focal phenomena manifest directly as a function of process operations. Construct theories remain one-step removed from articulating sequences of actions and two-steps removed from describing generative mechanisms responsible for observed actions. By “missing the action,” construct theories offer incomplete explanatory accounts and imprecise interventions. We assert that researchers in organizational science can make progress towards addressing these concerns by directing greater attention to developing computational process theories. We begin by presenting a framework for differentiating theories based on their focus (constructs versus processes) and modality (narrative versus computational). We use the framework to contrast narrative construct theories to computational process theories. We then describe key design principles for developing computational process theories and explain those principles using a leadership example. We use simulated data, from the computational process model we develop, to explicitly demonstrate the differences between construct and process thinking. We then discuss how computational process theories advance theory development. We conclude with a discussion of the long-term benefits of computational process theories for organizational science.

The Squirrel, Omelette, and the Truths: An Ethnographic Narrative Exploration of Philosophical Dialogue and Literacy with Young Learners

Abstract: This paper explores the innovative approach of engaging young learners in philosophical dialogue through creative storytelling. Employing an ethnographic narrative methodology, it examines storytelling sessions between the first author and her eight-year-old son, focusing on the emergent discussions about multifaceted truths inspired by the whimsical tale of “Omelette”, a fish that, according to the young storyteller, lays pre-cooked omelettes. By integrating narrative theory and elements of folklore and mythology, this paper reveals how such narratives can significantly enhance literacy and philosophical understanding in children. This research highlights the potential of storytelling as a dynamic educational tool, offering insights into the development of critical thinking and literacy skills.

Unnatural World—the Study of Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five from the Perspective of Unnatural Narrative

As one of the most outstanding contemporary novelists, Doris Lessing, a famous British female writer, won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. Doris Lessing’s new work Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five has been studied at home and abroad mainly in the aspects of feminism and Sufism in the work. Based on the unnatural narrative theory of post-classical narratologists Jan Albert and Brian Richardson, this paper analyzes the unnatural narrative factors in the stories from three aspects: unnatural space, unnatural role and unnatural behavior. The unnatural of the novel is to prove the unnatural nature of the world in the novel from three aspects: impossible story space, story role and characters’ behavior, and analyze the author's intention behind these unnatural factors -- the world is an interconnected whole, and the progress of human civilization requires people of all countries to be open-minded, inclusive, communicate with each other and learn from each other, in order to jointly promote the overall progress and prosperity of world civilization.

Developing content for a virtual reality scenario that motivates quit attempts in adult smokers: A focus group study with art-based methods.

Virtual reality (VR) could be used to deliver messages to smokers that encourages them to attempt quitting. For a VR smoking cessation intervention to be effective, the target population must find the content engaging, relevant, inoffensive, and compelling. Informed by health behaviour theory and narrative transportation theory, this study used focus groups combined with art-based methods (participant sketches) to inform the development of VR content that will appropriately address smokers' beliefs about quitting smoking. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four in-person focus groups (N = 21) were held between July and August 2023. Just under half the sample were from an ethnic minority (42.8%) and women (42.9%), and the mean age was 33.6 years (standard deviation = 15.9). More than half the sample had a low motivation to quit (61.0%). We developed six themes concerning: the VR content suggested by participants, the rationale behind it, its technological execution and potential widescale implementation. Many participants downplayed the health consequences of smoking, prioritising the immediate rewards of smoking over quitting's long-term benefits. Therefore, participants suggested content set in the future, showing the benefits of cessation or the negative consequences of continued smoking. Family members were recommended as supporting VR characters to increase the contents' emotional salience. Participants also suggested graphic content that would trigger anxiety about smoking, suggesting that fear appeals were welcome. Participants wanted a truly novel intervention- not a leaflet about smoking statistics presented through VR. Participants suggested healthcare locations (e.g., doctors' offices) for implementation, as home ownership of VR headsets is low. Also, this would make the VR appear more legitimate as a health intervention (rather than casual entertainment) and could complement in-person advice. Future research will refine the participant-generated ideas with experts in VR design and smoking cessation.

A comparative analysis of strategic narratives and persuasive language techniques within Iranian and US news media: The study of the joint comprehensive plan of action

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of strategic narrative theory and persuasive language techniques in the Middle Eastern context, particularly focusing on the utilization of these aspects in discussions related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The research employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze how the JCPOA was depicted in news media from the US and Iran. The findings reveal that both nations positioned themselves as key proponents of the JCPOA, emphasizing their willingness to collaborate through a more conciliatory approach. Notably, these narratives were underpinned by divergent persuasive language techniques, reflecting the intricate and often conflict-prone dynamics of the Middle East.

‘We haven’t even been able to talk!’: gender norms and masculinity exams in representations of sexuality in Spanish primary schools

ABSTRACT Through language, children participate actively in the construction of meanings around sexuality, which is governed unequally according to gender. This article examines the articulation of the social constructions of sexuality and gender with the pictorial and narrative representations of boys and girls from 9 to 11 years of age from four public schools in Barcelona province in the 2020–2021 school year. We used participatory methods, including drawing activities and focus groups. The findings suggest that hegemonic social constructions of masculinity and femininity guide children’s practices and narratives about sexuality, (re)producing differences between ‘boys’ and ‘girls’. The desire to fit into these hegemonic models puts pressure on boys to make their genitalia and bodies visible, and talk about sexuality through joking, while female genitalia are rendered invisible, and girls have calm discussions about sexuality. The article shows how children navigate, negotiate, or resist such governmentality and the inequalities that result.

Analyzing the Growth and Feminine Consciousness of the Two Heroines in 'Thelma and Louise'

Influenced by the feminism movements in the 1960s, more and more films have begun to pay attention to women's issues as well as presenting a trend of criticism and reflection on the gender issues in the past (and in the Hollywood blockbuster). -The paper will be conducted by utilizing film techniques such as mis-en-scen, colour, lighting, filming techniques, lines, etc. in combination with postmodern feminist theories, female image analysis, female consciousness awakening, gaze theory, as well as theories of narrative and patriarchy to deeply explore and analyse the growth of the subjective consciousness of the two female protagonists in the film. The paper will be conducted by utilizing the textual analysis as a main methodology, trying to contribute a more comprehensive angle to dissect this artwork.

Effects of Authorial Voice on Literary Reception in the United States

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the effects of authorial voice on literary reception in the United States. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study indicate that the tone, style, and perspective of the author can shape readers' interpretations and emotional responses to a text. For example, a confident and authoritative voice may engender trust and engagement, while a more experimental or ambiguous voice might provoke curiosity and critical reflection. Furthermore, readers' familiarity with an author's voice, whether through previous works or cultural reputation, can impact their expectations and predispositions towards new material. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Reader-response theory, narrative theory and reception theory may be used to anchor future studies on assessing effects of authorial voice on literary reception in the United States. Encourage authors to actively engage with readers to solicit feedback on narrative voice choices and their impact on reader interpretation and enjoyment of literary works. Advocate for policies and initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion in literature, ensuring that marginalized voices and perspectives are represented and celebrated in the literary landscape.

Influence of Character Development Techniques on Reader Engagement in Kenya

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of character development techniques on reader engagement in Kenya. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Well-developed characters tend to evoke stronger emotional responses from readers, fostering a deeper connection to the narrative. This emotional resonance can lead to increased empathy and investment in the characters' journeys. Secondly, techniques such as character arcs, internal conflicts, and growth over the course of the story contribute to a sense of realism and complexity, enhancing reader immersion. Additionally, relatable and multi-dimensional characters are more likely to captivate readers, as they can see aspects of themselves reflected in the characters' struggles and triumphs. Furthermore, the effectiveness of character development techniques varies depending on genre and target audience, highlighting the importance of tailoring strategies to fit the specific demands of the narrative. Overall, skillful implementation of character development techniques plays a crucial role in engaging readers and enhancing their overall reading experience. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social cognitive theory, schema theory and narrative transportation theory may be used to anchor future studies on assessing the influence of character development techniques on reader engagement in Kenya. Authors and storytellers can benefit from the findings of empirical studies by strategically employing character development techniques to enhance reader engagement in their narratives. While the influence of character development techniques on reader engagement primarily resides within the realm of creative expression, policymakers and educators can play a role in promoting literacy and fostering a culture of reading.

Madness and Resistance under the Flashback and Juxtaposition—Spatial Narration in The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar, the only novel by American poet and writer Sylvia Plath, vividly portrays the marginalized experience of American women in the mid-20th century and depicts the struggles of female intellectuals in constructing their own identities.This paper, by using the concepts of flashback and juxtaposition in spatial narration theory, explores three key aspects: the physical spatial changes in the whole story, the interplay between psychological and physical spaces under flashbacks and juxtaposition, and the protagonist Esther’s resistance against the male-dominated society and her awakening of female consciousness in the bell jar. It analyzes how Esther’s psychological space evolves within the ever-shifting physical spaces, leading to her feelings of helplessness, despair, and madness. Furthermore, it examines how through her rebellious madness, Esther achieves her awakening of female consciousness, constructs her own identity as a female intellectual, and raises her voice in a male-dominated society oppressive at the time.

Creating Guest Experience Value: An Empirical Analysis of Journey, Motif, and Story Themes

ABSTRACT Using mixed-methods, we examined the impact of theme type and coherence on visitors’ awareness of theme and experience value during and after visits to various hospitality and attraction venues. Fourteen informants and three researchers completed 172 visits. Team members experienced the offerings at each venue and reported their impressions of theme type, theme coherence, service performance, percent of time aware of theme, overall enjoyment, and proclivity to recommend. Narrative transportation theory informed our hypotheses: (a) theme coherence varies by theme type and the percent of time aware of theme increases with coherence of theme, and (b) experience value during- and after-use increase with the percent of time aware of theme and service performance. Results supported all hypotheses except one. Qualitative analysis revealed impacts of themes.

Revisiting “An Unknown Woman”: A Look at Freud’s Paper Through the Lens of Hans Loewald

In his paper “The Psychogenesis of a Case of Homosexuality in a Woman” (1920), Freud tried to outline a general psychoanalytic approach to homosexuality by recounting the case of an 18-year-old girl sent to him by her father. The case, as told by Freud, makes for awkward reading today. Loewald’s theory of developmental narrative, differentiation, linking, and his notion of parricide as the individual giving voice to one’s self, offers a different lens through which to view it. Although Loewald did not write directly about the issue of homosexuality, in boys or girls, in “The Waning of the Oedipus Complex” he gives voice to the inner processes of separation and linking from parents, leading to mourning, through which the adolescent has to go. In this paper, I offer a reading of the Freud case using Loewald’s theory, which enables us to highlight homosexuality as a variation in the expression of human sexuality, rather than a pathological deviation as Freud implies, and presents the “unknown woman” as struggling with difficulties in mourning.

Researching the Narrative Features in the Translation of Xi Jinping’s Political Discourse from the Perspective of Narrative Theory

Researching the Narrative Features in the Translation of Xi Jinping’s Political Discourse from the Perspective of Narrative Theory

Fisting Subjectivity: Narratives of Sexual Subjectivity Among Gay Fist-Fuckers

ABSTRACT Studies of sexuality have long been interested in understanding the construction of sexual subjectivity, especially amongst people whose participation in more nonnormative and kinkier forms of sex/uality have been discursively framed in terms of sexual and health “risk.” Here sexual subjectivity refers to a person’s sense of themself “as a sexual being who feels entitled to sexual pleasure and sexual safety, who makes active sexual choices, and who has an identity as a sexual being” (p. 6). This study explored what meanings fist-fuckers narratively draw on in understanding and interpreting their sexual subjectivity. Unstructured individual interviews were conducted with 32 gay South African men who fist-fuck. Guided by narrative theory and a thematic narrative analysis, six narratives were identified through which this sample of fist-fuckers constructed their sexual subjectivity as: kinkster, explorer, athlete, expert, lover, and community member. The results highlight that fist-fuckers construct and understand their sexual subjectivity through multiple and overlapping narratives of erotic desire and practice. These narratives not only work to affirmatively constitute the pursuit of fist-fucking as a personally meaningful, sexually fulfilling, and erotically legitimate form of satisfaction and play but, furthermore, facilitate identification with and membership of a distinct community of kink.

Up-Cycling Barbie: “Bad Feminism” for Mixed-Up Times

This paper explores both the critical and the contradictory ways ‘gender’ is enacted in what has become a blockbuster at once wildly popular, and as well a site of controversy and censorship. Examining the reporting on and reviews of the film Barbie, providing some of the actual history of its design, as against its narrative re-presentation in the film, looking in particular at its ironic remediation of gendered games and play, the paper also identifies some of the cinematic techniques through which the movie reinvents Barbie as a filmic feminist, through a deconstructive and reconstructive upcycling of the iconic material Barbie en plastique. The director’s embrace of an explicitly feminist narrative re-frames a 60-year-old doll and upcycles Barbie for a new generation, reaching an unprecedented global audience with its diverse, inclusive casting, its satirizing of patriarchy and a passionately feminist speechifying moment that couldn’t happen nowadays across an increasingly litigation-sensitive academy, yet has gained astonishing traction in popular media, and enthusiastic re-citation in TikTok. Those commitments, however, sit uncomfortably with the Mattel Toy company’s embrace of a new market for a product at risk of obsolescence from a generation of mothers raised on one or another ‘wave’ of feminist thought, and the considerably different versions of feminism that the film avows, and those it enacts.

Framing Narratives in the Translation of Chinese Political Discourse: Case Examples from The Governance of China

The English translation of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China showcases advanced translation practices within Chinese political discourse, crucial for facilitating cross-cultural communication. As a seminal work of 21st-century Marxism and a primary text of Chinese political thought, it represents the principles of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. This paper conducts a detailed textual analysis to examine how four key narrative framing strategies in the translation of Chinese political discourse shape and communicate narratives across cultural boundaries. Drawing on Baker’s (2018) pioneering work in social narrative theory, this study illustrates how translators not only convey but also actively shape narratives. The findings reveal distinct employment of these strategies, coupled with diverse translation methods, to accurately convey the original narrative, thereby enhancing China’s international communication. This research extends the scope of narrative studies and introduces a novel theoretical lens to the translation of Chinese political discourse. By integrating narrative theory with translation studies, it uncovers new dimensions and paradigms for the translation and interpretation of political discourse, offering critical insights for achieving effective cross-cultural communication in this domain.