Interactive Storytelling and Identity Management in Adolescent Males

Interactive Storytelling and Identity Management in Adolescent Males michael bamberg & luke moissinac Clark University Department of Psychology

Three kinds of narrative approaches Life-Story Approaches n Life-Event Approaches n “Small” Stories n – Short narrative accounts – Embedded in every-day interactions – Unnoticed as ‘stories’ by the participants – Unnoticed as ‘narratives’ by researchers – But highly relevant for identity formation processes

Identity as iterative, everyday performance Drawing on Judith Butler’s work (1990) n Identity constituted in performance n Fashioned and revised in everyday interactions n Re-enacted and re-experienced continuously to achieve personal currency n Conversational narrative as a site for iterative identity projects n

Narrative dimensions (Ochs & Capps, 2001) n Tellership » one active teller vs. many n Tellability » high vs. low n Embeddedness » detached from surrounding talk vs. situational embeddedness n Moral stance » one moral message vs. different + conflicting messages n Linearity & Temporality » closed temporal + causal order vs. open + spatial

with this in mind: Let’s turn to SMALL stories Characteristics of “small” stories n Functions of “small” stories n – in everyday conversations – in the process of identity formation – in learning to present ‘coherent’ selves n What these small stories accomplish in everyday situations

Characteristics of “SMALL” stories n n Short Conversationally Embedded + Negotiated » before » during » after n Fine tuned positioning strategies – fine-tuned vis-à-vis the audience – fine-tuned vis-à-vis dominant + counter narratives – multiple moral stances (testing out and experimenting with identity projections) n Low in tellability, linearity, temporality + causality

Functions of “SMALL” stories Practice in doing identity work n Continuous editing of experience n – Retelling of experience – Re-tuning these tellings according to » different audiences » different master-narratives » different (developing) senses of ‘who-I-am’ n Resulting in some sense of coherence » though one that is constantly reworked

“Mister Lanoe hit on my mom” 01 A: 02 03 B: V: 04 B: 05 06 07 A: K: B: 08 V: the lowest grade I ever got was a zero when I forgot to pass in my homework miss Brown I remember that my pro. SHE WAS THE COOLEST huhhuhhuh {enthusiastically gesturing} my project was one day late my China project and she gave me a zero cos it was one day late my mom flipped out at her and I remember when mister Collins gave me a Ben detention= =[a Ben detention? ] [he left me] in a room and he left {V nods knowingly} DUDE THAT DUDE HIT ON MY MOM

Setting theme n n Teachers and grades Positioning teachers as adversarial » “she gave me a zero cos it was one day late” » “mister Collins gave me a Ben detention” n Ratifying, then pushing the positioning » “DUDE THAT DUDE HIT ON MY MOM” n Voicing ‘coolness’ » “DUDE” n Displaying knowledge of adult sexuality » “hit on my mom”

08 09 10 V: B: K: 11 12 13 14 15 16 V: K: A: V: 17 K: DUDE THAT DUDE HIT ON MY MOM huh[huhhuh] [mister Lanoe hit] on my mom he goes to my school (. ) he at at summer school= =WHO? he he’s in my school= =who? >what’s his name< mister La: : Noe: : {deliberately pronounced} I thought you said mister Rabado= =uh huhhuh I was about to say what [ (…………. . )] [anyway he’s in my summer school]

Attempted second story and challenges to narrative reliability n Second story attempt » “mister Lanoe hit on my mom” n Challenges to reliability » “WHO” » “who? What’s his name” » “I thought you said mister Rabado” n Weak responses to challenges » “my school, ” “summer school” » over pronunciation

17 K: 18 19 20 V: B: K: [anyway he’s in my summer school] and you know the teachers had to come in I mean the parents you know for the uh >whatever (. ) you know (. ) look around the school< and then you know mister Lanoe ev’ry see everytime he’d see my mom he kept going “Kev uh your mom comin tomorrow? ” <“no mister Lanoe uh the thing (. ) is in 2 weeks”> (deliberately) “oh awright” [huhhuhhuh] he he liked (. ) you know (. ) yeah=

Neutralizing the challenge n Using a dismissive marker as initiator » “anyway” n Providing additional credible detail » “parents…. look around the school” n Recruiting agreement » “you know” n Styling the teacher’s voice as importunate » “everytime, ” “comin tomorrow? ” n n Inverting teacher-student power relationship Styling own voice as didactic and patient

Positioning: Fine tuning n Vis-à-vis his interlocutors – My experiences are equivalent to yours – We share solidarity against badly behaved teachers n Vis-à-vis master narratives of heterosexuality and adulthood – We can identify and criticize undesirable, desperate forms of sexual conduct – We can turn the tables on adults n Vis-à-vis a ‘sense-of-self’ – Practicing/working toward/testing out a sense of “this is me”

Conclusion n So, rather than assuming the existence of identity + sense of self – and viewing narratives as reflections thereof, we are suggesting studying the emergence of a sense of self by way of exploring the SMALL stories people tell in their EVERYDAY interactions