Frames, Narratives, Worldviews and Psychology

 

The Protest 2023
Geoffrey W Sutton & Bing Designer

Narratives offer groups explanations for actions and often justify group behavior. 

Groups of people in conflict create narratives, which frame events for their group and those outside a group. A pervasive narrative offers a framework for understanding future information.

Persistent and pervasive narratives become substantial components of worldviews.

Lewandowsky and others provide an example of the narrative preceding the 2003 US war with Iraq and note that before the war, the narrative used a war metaphor to refer to terrorism and presented the idea of preventive war as self-defense.

Frames or narratives are not propaganda--

"Instead, frames and narratives are necessary cognitive tools, designed to pare down information in order to manage complexity. These tools facilitate communication even if they emphasize facts unevenly (Nisbet, 2009)." (Lewandowsky et al., 2013)

Effective leaders frame history for their people. They create narratives and effective narratives persist. They contribute to people's understanding of themselves and their group identity.

Frames or narratives may apply to nations, organizations, religious groups, families, and individuals.

References

Lewandowsky, S., Stritzke, W. G. K., Freund, A. M., Oberauer, K., & Krueger, J. I. (2013). Misinformation, disinformation, and violent conflict: From Iraq and the “War on Terror” to future threats to peace. American Psychologist, 68(7), 487–501.

Sutton, G. W. (2024, January 29). Frames, narratives, worldviews and psychology. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2024/01/frames-narratives-worldviews-and.html

Related post

Propaganda and psychology

 

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

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