Daniel Winchester

Social Theory Re-Wired : New Connections to Classical and Contemporary Perspectives

Social Theory Rewired | New Connections to Classical and ... Thu, 30 May 2019 19:22:00 GMT A rich collection of web-based materials—including interactive versions of key texts, open spaces to write and reflect on readings, biographical sketches of authors, and dozens of supplementary sources—that transports social theory from its classic period to the vibrant and complex world of now. Social Theory Re-Wired: New Connections to Classical and ... Tue, 30 Apr 2019 01:57:00 GMT

“I Felt Guilty for Being So Happy”: Narrative Expressions and Management of Postdivorce Ambivalence

ABSTRACT Scholars have highlighted ambivalence as a central feature of experiences of divorce and its aftermath and discussed ambivalence as an important issue for divorcees in adjusting to their new status. While most of this scholarship assesses postdivorce ambivalence as a psychological phenomenon to be addressed therapeutically, this study analyzes postdivorce ambivalence as an interpretive problem to be addressed sociologically. Following Merton’s (1976) insight that ambivalence be viewed as rooted in culture and social structure as well as individual psyche, we use a narrative analytic perspective to examine how divorcees both discursively express and interpretively manage their ambivalence. We then consider some of the more general cultural discourses—such as images of marriage and divorce—that shape or condition these narratives. Ultimately, we argue that conflicting stances toward marriage in the wider U.S. culture are at once important sources of postdivorce ambivalence and significant interpretive resources for its discursive management.