The Effect of Frames on Personal Narratives of Bullying Memories

Abstract

Research demonstrates the malleability of memory; a dynamic process that occurs across development and can be influenced by internal and external frames. Narratives of past experiences represent one modality of understanding how memories are influenced by these frames. The present experimental study examines how memories of bullying are affected by two distinct yet common cultural frames. College students ( n = 92) were randomly assigned to one of two groups; one with a definition of bullying framing the experience in terms of resilience and one framing it in terms of negative psychosocial effects. Participants then wrote about a remembered experience with bullying. The researchers coded the narratives for coping strategies used in response to bullying as well as for positive or negative emotion words and story endings. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences between groups in the ways bullying experiences were remembered and described. Participants in the Resiliency Group more often had positive endings to their bullying narratives and used more coping skills and positive emotion words overall. The implications of a subtle frame influencing memories of bullying and its relation to development, identity, social order, peer relationships, and resilience are discussed.

Family Environment Hostility as the Missing Element Between School Bullying Victimization and Anorexia

“…First, interviews and diaries provide insights into certain aspects of life only, while others are omitted. Moreover, it was shown that the interview frame (positive/negative) could influence the sentiment of personal narrative about bullying experiences and its content (Stark et al, 2021). In this regard, our qualitative findings could be further researched using statistical methods such as structural equation modeling.…”

“…We included the translated from Russian version of the interview guide in Supplementary Appendix. These interviews intentionally did not include questions about bullying to provide more ecologically valid information about the presence and meaning of bullying in the girls' lives (Stark et al, 2021). The average interview duration was 67 min (S.D.…”