Tho Press Release: Symbolic Communication In Life History Interviewing

Abstract

ABSniiCT This study descnbes and analyzes the apparendy misleading, irrelevant, and sterotyped initial self-report statements that were obtained m an ln-depth multiple case study of women changing careers Using assumptions from the fields of hermeneutics (interpretation) and phenomenology about how meaning is constructed and interpreted, these initial accounts are understood as symbols which can be decoded and can also reveal larger meaning when read in different contexts This study shows how these accounts concealed connections between current behavior and personal history and prevented appropnate reference to personal expenence. The reasons for these distcHtions are understood by placing them m a sociocultural context These women's initial accounts are interpreted as a response to their perceived violation of cultural mandates preventing development of work roles The damaged symbolic language they used to explain themselves is seen as an example of mistaken cultural assumptions about the "self " The demonstrated necessity of interpreting these lmtial accounts as symbolic communication alerts researchers relying on self-report statements to the pitfalls of taking such statements at face value A comnwn concem among researchers engaging in life history interviewing, whether they be sociological (

The Personality of Young Adult Couples and Wives' Work Patterns

“…Wiersma (1988) interviewed women to whom entry into the labor force was seen as a key event and described their "press releases"-defensive formulations which covered up the truth of difficulties in self and marriage.…”

The Science Behind Feminist Research Methods

“…Narrative inquiry offers a means of tracing the evolution of gendered self-identity (Personal Narratives Group, 1989). In the case of women's experiences, these studies have located the culturally gendered templates for making sense of one's life (Quinn, 1987;Wiersma, 1988) and the complex influence of social norms (Ginsburg, 1989;Helson, 1989). Contained in narrative studies is the opportunity to expIore experiences of agency and their relation to psychological well-being (Stewart & Malley, 1989).…”

On Being a `Good' Mother

“…As a result, the life story writers who discuss their thoughts around divorce end up presenting formulaic 'press releases' on the importance of putting the children first (Wiersma, 1988). Perhaps because the narrators did not know which speech community they were addressing (Scott and Lyman, 1968: 61), they assumed the broadest possible community and stuck with accounts that were in line with widely accepted social norms.…”