Phillip L. Hammack

Identity as Burden or Benefit? Youth, Historical Narrative, and the Legacy of Political Conflict

Scholars across a range of disciplines have increasingly argued that the intractability of political conflicts is rooted in the proliferation of competing historical narratives. These collective narratives construct the basis of a sense of shared collective identity. Narrative and identity are thus increasingly conceptualized as fundamental to the maintenance and reproduction of political conflict. In this paper, I explore two underlying conceptions of identity that have emerged in the literature on youth and political conflict. One conception views identity as a burden for youth, suggesting that youth perceive the need to internalize a master narrative of collective identity that provides a sense of security and solidarity in the midst of existential uncertainty. Though psychologically beneficial, this internalization is problematic in the reproductive role it assumes in the larger conflict. An alternative conception views identity as a benefit in its ability to serve as a tool for social and political change, particularly for low-status groups. I review theory and research that adopt these varying conceptions and suggest that identity must be conceptualized as both burden and benefit for youth in conflict settings.

The cultural psychology of Palestinian youth: A narrative approach

Contemporary Palestinian youth engage with a tragic master narrative of loss and dispossession supported by the social structure of ongoing intractable conflict and Israeli military occupation. This article illustrates a narrative and idiographic approach to research in cultural psychology, interrogating the relationship between constructions of personal identity and the master narrative of Palestinian history and collective identity among contemporary youth. Narratives of youth reveal points of both convergence and divergence with the master narrative of Palestinian identity, the most notable of which are the reproduction of tragic stories of loss and dispossession and the current ideological divisions within Palestinian society between secular and religious nationalism. Implications for theory and methodological practice in cultural psychology are discussed.

Exploring the Reproduction of Conflict Through Narrative: Israeli Youth Motivated to Participate in a Coexistence Program

Contemporary Israeli youth are socialized in the context of intractable nationalist conflict with Palestinians, characterized by a “master” historical narrative of Jewish Israeli identity that exacerbates the conflict. This exploratory study examines the relation between this master narrative and the personal narratives of youth motivated to participate in a coexistence program. Narratives of youth suggest points of both convergence and divergence with the master narrative in their form, thematic content, and ideological settings. Like the larger story of Jewish Israeli identity, the stories of youth assumed a redemptive form and integrated themes of existential insecurity, historical persecution, exceptionalism, and delegitimization of Palestinian identity. Divergence with the master narrative suggested the significance of local communities and the growing pluralism of Israeli society, as well as policy shifts in Israel regarding the legitimacy of Palestinian statehood. Despite motivation to participate ...

Narrative, psychology and the politics of sexual identity in the United States: from ‘sickness’ to ‘species’ to ‘subject’

Since early legal, medical and scientific discussions of homosexuality, the discipline of psychology has assumed an instrumental role in both maintaining and challenging cultural and political perspectives on same-sex desire, identity and behaviour. This article presents a critical historical review of psychological research on same-sex desire in the United States, with a focus on the way in which studies reflect three master narratives on the nature and meaning of same-sex attraction: (1) a sickness script that dominated the majority of research from the late 1800s to the 1970s; (2) a species script that became popular with the removal of homosexuality as a diagnosable mental illness in 1973 and initiated several new lines of research; and (3) a subject script inspired by scholarly and cultural shifts beginning in the 1990s that challenged the taxonomy of sexual identity. We conclude with a discussion of the transformative potential of a narrative approach that integrates analysis of historical forces and individual psychological development.

Health and Well-Being in Emerging Adults’ Same-Sex Relationships: Critical Questions and Directions for Research in Developmental Science

Researchers have yet to account for the potentially unique experiences of emerging adults who are in or seeking to be in a relationship with a same-sex romantic partner. This article articulates an agenda for research focused on better understanding and addressing the health and well-being of emerging adults in or pursuing same-sex romantic relationships. We provide a general summary of what is known about health and well-being in same-sex relationships, followed by an overview of the current and changing social climate surrounding same-sex relationships. We point out how recent historical changes present sexual minority emerging adults with unique relational benefits and challenges that have not been examined within the social and health sciences. We conclude by proposing a set of research questions to help develop knowledge needed to improve the health and well-being of emerging adults in or pursuing same-sex relationships.

Gay Men’s Health and Identity: Social Change and the Life Course

Abstract Due to significant historical change in the late 20th and early 21st century related to both health and cultural attitudes toward homosexuality, gay men of distinct birth cohorts may diverge considerably in their health and identity development. We argue that research on gay men’s health has not adequately considered the significance of membership in distinct generation-cohorts, and we present a life course paradigm to address this problem. Focusing on the U.S. as an exemplar that can be adapted to other cultural contexts, we identify five generations of gay men alive today and review unique issues related to health and identity development for each. Implications for research, practice, and advocacy on gay men’s health and development are discussed.

Analysis of GLBTQ Youth Community-Based Programs in the United States

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) youth face oppression despite some increases in cultural support for GLBTQ individuals. Research has revealed the psychological and social distress associated with oppression and the benefits of peer social support programs. This study was conducted to analyze the types and frequency of services, age of participants, and organizational structures of the 116 GLBTQ community-based programs operating in the United States. Using an Internet survey, information from 61 of the programs was secured. The results revealed the community-based youth programs provide critical and unique programs and services that can promote the mental and physical health of GLBTQ youth.

Narrative and the Social Construction of Adulthood.

This chapter develops three points of elaboration and theoretical expansion upon Cohlers (1982) treatise on personal narrative and life course. First, we highlight Cohlers emphasis on an interpretive, idiographic approach to the study of lives and reveal the radicalism of this approach, particularly in its ability to interrogate the lived experience of social categorization. Second, we link Cohlers position directly to cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and consider the link between inner and social speech through the idea of narrative engagement. Finally, following Cohlers life course perspective on human development, we suggest that adulthood is best conceived as a cultural discourse to which individuals orient their personal narratives through a dynamic process of narrative engagement rather than a clearly demarcated life stage. Emerging adulthood is linked to cultural and economic processes of globalization in the 21st century and challenges static notions of social roles traditionally associated with compulsory heterosexuality (e.g., marriage and parenthood). Narrative processes in emerging adulthood occur through both situated storytelling and the formation of a life story that provides coherence and social meaning, both of which have key implications for social stasis and change.

Prevalence and Correlates of Delegitimization Among Jewish Israeli Adolescents

Intractable political conflicts are characterized by a sociopsychological infrastructure (Bar-Tal, 2007) in which individuals are subject to a cognitive and emotional repertoire that legitimizes the use of violence. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of delegitimization, one psychological component theorized as central to the maintenance and reproduction of intractable conflict. Jewish Israeli adolescents completed a survey assessing delegitimization (a process by which members of the outgroup are morally derogated and considered of less existential value than ingroup members), demographic variables, political violence exposure and participation, and attitudes toward policies related to conflict resolution with the Palestinians. Higher levels of delegitimization were associated with being male and with higher reported levels of religiosity, political violence participation, and endorsement of non-compromising attitudes associated with conflict resolution. Analyses supported a conceptual mod...

Putting the Social into Personal Identity: The Master Narrative as Root Metaphor for Psychological and Developmental Science

Commentary Human Development 2015;58:350–364 DOI: 10.1159/000446054 Putting the Social into Personal Identity: The Master Narrative as Root Metaphor for Psychological and Developmental Science Commentary on McLean and Syed Phillip L. Hammack Erin E. Toolis University of California, Santa Cruz, Calif. , USA Key Words Culture · Identity · Interpretive · Master narrative “In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.” [Erikson, 1968, p. 130] “The ‘methodology of causation’ can neither capture the social and personal richness of lives in a culture nor begin to plumb their his- torical depth. It is only through the application of interpretation that we, as psychologists, can do justice to the world of culture.” [Bruner, 1990, p. 137] On a hot summer night in Tel Aviv in 2005, a 17-year-old Jewish Israeli named Ayelet 1 shared her views on a particularly divisive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian con- flict as part of a life-story interview: As much as I want to understand them [the Palestinians], I can’t give up my country. I can’t give up Jerusalem. As much as I don’t live there and I don’t really go to the Wall and every- thing and don’t pray and I’m not that religious. But still it’s important for me , for my people . Just one year prior, during our initial life-story interview, Ayelet had passionately ar- gued for the division of Jerusalem in the interest of peace [see Hammack, 2011a]. Now, one year later, and interestingly one year after she has engaged with Palestinians in intergroup dialogue, Ayelet presents a personal narrative subordinate to a collec- tive, master narrative in which the discursive demands of social identity reign su- preme. No longer do Ayelet’s personal views on Jerusalem matter, for what matters to Ayelet is that her personal narrative aligns with a master narrative of a particular Pseudonym. E-Mail karger@karger.com www.karger.com/hde