Episodic master narratives through time: Exploring the temporal dynamism of 2016 election night stories

Abstract

Master narratives are culturally vetted stories that guide collective action. Over an 18-month period, we examined the dynamism inherent in master narratives of the 2016 American presidential election. In assessments separated six months apart, four independent samples of Clinton and Trump voters provided their stories of election night 2016 and rated the positivity and vividness of these experiences. Narratives were additionally quantified along both linguistic (I-talk and We-talk) and conceptual (redemption and contamination) dimensions. Over time: (a) election night experiences became less vivid, (b) the proportion of We-words in election night narratives increased (suggesting greater group identification), (c) Clinton supporters' evaluations of their election nights became marginally more positive (suggesting an increased optimism), and (d) Trump supporters' narratives became less redemptive (suggesting a reduced enthusiasm for this historical event). These results signal the enduring and dynamic elements of the narratives central to two of America's diametrically opposed sociopolitical groups.

On stories, conceptual space, and physical place: Considering the function and features of stories throughout the narrative ecology

“…The same is true for other entities besides nations, such as one's social relationships, family, place of employment, hometown, etc. (e.g., Dunlop et al, 2018Dunlop et al, , 2020aDunlop et al, , 2021McLean, 2015). As we have written elsewhere (Chandler & Dunlop, 2015), few concepts possess such scope, range, and flexibility.…”

“…Individually, persons work to construct a coherent and compelling personal story and then live into it (e.g., Adler, 2012). From couples through cultures, stories pertaining to the collective can be similarly formative and sustaining (e.g., Dunlop et al, 2018Dunlop et al, , 2021Hammack, 2011;McLean & Syed, 2015;Westrate, 2021). In contrast, if, to draw from the words of Plenty Coups, the meaning systems upon which culture is predicated are stopped in their tracks, continuity at both the personal and collective level is likely to be forfeit.…”

“…It is for this reason that requesting stories of instances in which the narrator felt they had deviated from certain cultural expectations may help compliment more direct assessments to get a sense of the nature of the cultural stories themselves (e.g., McLean et al, 2018;Svensson & Syed, 2019;Wilkinson, 2021). Finally, researchers could continue to explore personal stories pertaining to culturally significant events (e.g., Adler & Poulin, 2009;Dunlop et al, 2018Dunlop et al, , 2021. Stories about personal experiences during culturally significant events allow one to examine the narrators' understanding of the events in question and provide indications of their personal and collective ramifications.…”

“…This claim is substantiated by research indicating that Americans demonstrate a preference for redemptive stories and the people who tell them (McLean et al, 2020a). Redemption has also been noted as relevant to the telling of certain historical events in an American cultural context (e.g., Adler & Poulin, 2009; Dunlop et al, 2021). Similarly, in his in-depth examination of Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian youth, Hammack (2008, 2011) observed that the cultural narratives of their respective groups were defined by arcs of redemption and contamination, respectively.…”

“…It is for this reason that requesting stories of instances in which the narrator felt they had deviated from certain cultural expectations may help compliment more direct assessments to get a sense of the nature of the cultural stories themselves (e.g., McLean et al, 2018; Svensson & Syed, 2019; Wilkinson, 2021). Finally, researchers could continue to explore personal stories pertaining to culturally significant events (e.g., Adler & Poulin, 2009; Dunlop et al, 2018, 2021).…”