Master narrative methodology: A primer for conducting structural-psychological research.

Abstract

Objectives: The emphasis placed on individual-level analysis throughout psychological science in general, and diversity science in particular, has left the role of structural factors under-theorized. Moreover, the field suffers from a lack of research methods that fully investigate structural-individual relations. This paper outlines one structural-psychological approach, the master narrative framework, and details various methods for taking social structures into account while still maintaining the focus on the individual. Conclusion: These methods, including event narratives, in-depth interviews, life-script analysis, focus groups, experiments, and conversation analysis, allow for understanding of both the nature and substance of the structures and how individuals interact with them.Practical significance: Psychology is a discipline that focuses on individual-level behaviors and mental processes. However, those behaviors and mental processes occur within a socially-stratified society, in which some groups have more access to power than others. This paper focuses on research methods that can help bridge the divide between individuals and the social structures in which they live.

Fostering anti-racism in white children and youth: Development within contexts.

“…These master narratives are embedded in the environments in which White children and youth spent their time (e.g., standards of beauty and preference for straight hair, stereotypical media representations of people of color, and the omission of people of color from school curriculum; Tatum, 2017). White individuals are more likely than people of color to incorporate these biased master narratives into their personal narratives (i.e., stories about their lives used to form their individual identities; see Syed & McLean, 2021). For example, a White individual may attribute their academic successes solely to their hard work rather than the result of a well-funded school system.…”

“…While interpersonal action can reduce individual instances of racism, collective action is necessary to reduce structural racism (bidirectional blue arrow, Figure 1). The resistance of the master narratives and the potential for the alternative narrative (Syed & McLean, 2021) depend on ongoing action that works to dismantle both individual thoughts and behaviors as well as the systems and structures that uphold racial inequality.…”

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This article presents a developmental model of anti-racism among White children and youth.Informed by a structural-psychological framework (Syed & McLean, 2021), the model proposes that anti-racist development is inseparable from the structures and systems that uphold racial inequality in the United States. In articulating the processes by which children and early adolescents move toward becoming anti-racist, the model emphasizes foundational abilities (e.g., socio-cognitive skills and moral development), a developing sense of self and society (e.g., recognition of racism and understanding of White privilege), and the importance of anti-racism action and promotive contexts (especially within schools and families).

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Revealing the queer-spectrum in STEM through robust demographic data collection in undergraduate engineering and computer science courses at four institutions

“…Similarly, the language of the prompts, including “the gender(s) you affiliate with” was specifically crafted in response to concerns of those piloting the questions that using the language of “identify with” would be more likely to limit queer respondents’ choices to more narrow definitions of an identity category–narrow definitions they themselves may not use, but that they perceive are used by others. As such, we followed the practice of centering those with marginalized identities in our survey construction, rather than centering majority identities and conventions that may be exclusive in developing our prompt text [ 61 , 62 ]. This survey is referred to as “queered”.…”

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Through the Prism of Horizontal Inequalities: Theoretical Overview

“…Intractability here primarily refers to the conflict's severity and durability. According to the approach Bar-Tal suggests, when talking about intractable conflicts, we are looking at conflicts that are characterized by being protracted, violent, perceivably irresolvable, and demanding extensive investment 38 . Such conflicts usually have a long history of existence and have lasted so long that at least a generation has not lived in a reality without that conflict.…”