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Offending the other: deconstructing narratives of deviance and pathology
Paul Flowers1, Darren Langdridge
1Glasgow Caledonian University, UK.
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|May 31, 2007
Summary
This study deconstructs how a 2004 British Journal of Social Psychology paper pathologizes gay men. It reveals how selective textual appropriation and
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Queer Studies
Background:
- Homophobia and the repathologization of gay men are increasingly discussed.
- Psychological research can inadvertently perpetuate harmful narratives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To deconstruct a specific paper in the British Journal of Social Psychology (2004).
- To analyze how narratives of repathology emerge through selective textual appropriation.
- To examine the ethical implications of psychological research on marginalized groups.
Main Methods:
- Deconstructive analysis of a published paper.
- Application of Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology.
- Critique of textual appropriation and "othering" strategies.
Main Results:
- The analyzed paper constructs a narrative of gay men's "repathology" through selective sourcing.
- Pathological constructions of male sexual conduct and homogenized views of gay men contribute to this narrative.
- HIV is reconstructed as a "gay plague," further "othering" gay men.
Conclusions:
- Psychologists can engage in homophobic knowledge production while maintaining professional identity.
- Ethical engagement with "the other" requires careful textual analysis.
- Hermeneutic phenomenology offers a framework for constructive analysis of diverse traditions.
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