Abstract
More than four decades of discourse studies have fostered an impressive body of interdisciplinary research. All this time, social psychologists have been collaboratively engaged (alongside philosophers, linguists and sociologists) in the exploration of this continuously growing scientific field. Consistent with this development, McKinley and McVittie have now assessed this vast repertoire of research with respect to its purpose and relevance for social psychologists.
Their book is intended to address students and scholars in social psychology (see p. 2), so it is not surprising to find that the first eight of the book’s 13 chapters revolve around classic psychological themes, for example, attraction, aggression, prejudice. In contrast, the remaining five chapters spotlight the different cultural settings in which discourse takes place. This division into a theoretical (Chapters 1 to 8) and an applied (Chapters 9 to 13) part works quite effectively, for while the distribution facilitates the quick and selective retrieval of information, it also guides the reader smoothly from one psychological concept (or context of use) to the next. The book’s chapters all feature short captions of major definitions as well as short summary sections and authentic text examples from both spoken and written language. In addition, connection boxes (referencing conceptual interrelations between the chapters) and activity boxes (suggesting further discussions and course activities) contribute to the book’s commendable composition and make it an excellent read. The content of the individual chapters will be appraised in the following text.
Chapter 1 serves as a general introduction to the essential concepts of social psychology and functions as a quick reference guide to the central notions, theories and methods in discursive research. The major approaches to discourse analysis, that is, conversation analysis and critical discourse analysis, are treated at much length, while others (e.g. narrative analysis, rhetorical psychology) are presented in a much more condensed fashion. While the reductive description of discursive psychology is understandable because of its ‘derivative’ nature (i.e. it largely builds on principles borrowed from conversation analysis), a more exhaustive introduction to the methods of narrative analysis would have been appreciated.
Chapter 2 surveys studies on the concepts of self and identity, revealing the dynamic interplay of personal self-reflection and the reciprocal identity attribution of interlocutors in verbal interactions. Following benchmark literature on identity (see Benwell and Stokoe, 2006), the authors show convincingly that identities are not given social facts but are constantly reproduced or refashioned in verbal encounters. Recognizing the importance of language in the construction of identity, the chapter demonstrates the construal of identity in its cultural, national and gendered or virtual (computer-mediated) dimensions. Along these lines, the authors not only debate how identity traits are constructed and reproduced, but also how verbal attributions are challenged and rejected by different interlocutors in different contexts of use.
Chapter 3 shifts the perspective from individual to group identity. The reader gets a succinct overview of the discursive maneuvers which yield social cohesion in larger groups or communities. Chapter 4 aims to present research on attraction. In an effort to demonstrate how attraction is reified in family conversations, the authors discuss at great length how interlocutors use particular linguistic strategies to resolve their interpersonal conflicts. While this chapter aptly reveals how family members build up and debate power relations in discourse, it fails to show how these power relations connect to the psychological concept of attraction. Chapter 5 then directs the reader’s attention to the phenomenon of social cognition. It uncovers two fundamental insights: a) individuals express themselves in discourse by recourse to the ways in which they have organized and classified their former experiences (and vice versa); and b) the success of communicative acts rests crucially on the discursive negotiation and resulting cognitive alignment of mutually shared knowledge. Basic concepts, such as mental model, metaphor and inference are described and sufficiently illustrated. The authors fall back on psychological literature on the subject at hand, yet some mention of influential literature from other scientific disciplines would have been fruitful (see Assmann and Conrad, 2010; Croft and Cruse, 2004; Geeraerts, 2006; Ungerer and Schmid, 2006).
Chapter 6 is dedicated to attitudes and persuasion. Its portrayal of the conceptual interrelations between the terms attitude, opinion and evaluation is laudable, while the rest of the chapter generally focuses on studies which critically reflect on the (persuasive) impact of verbalized attitudes in different text genres. In a similar vein, Chapters 7 and 8 review research on prejudice or disputes and aggressions respectively. The latter contains a recommendable passage on conflict talk, which covers its various linguistic realizations as well as its differing social functions.
Chapters 9, 10 and 11 extend the previously introduced psychological concepts and discursive methods to differing contexts of use. In sequence, research on the following types of discourse is introduced and thoroughly evaluated: the discourse of law and order, the discourse of health institutions and the discourse of organizations. The closing Chapters 12 and 13 highlight some major methodological debates in discourse analysis, such as the inclusion or exclusion of linguistic, social or cultural context in the analysis and interpretation of discourse. Finally, McKinley and McVittie argue for an integrative view on discursive and experimental as well as qualitative and quantitative research in social psychology.
To conclude, this book offers a multifaceted view on the still expanding field of discourse analysis. It is by far one of the most comprehensive works on discourse I have ever read. With its impressive number of well-phrased definitions, accessible examples and lucid explanations, this textbook is, indeed, an extraordinary accomplishment. There can be no doubt that it will resonate deeply with social psychologists (students and scholars alike). More importantly perhaps, it will serve linguists, literary scholars and sociologists as a convenient springboard for future interdisciplinary studies on discourse.