Discourse Analysis: Example exercise

Source: Division of Psychology and Social Change, Manchester

Metropolitan University
Analyse the following website (including any associated pages from directly linked
websites) using discourse analysis: http://www.add101.com/.
The following questions might help you with your analysis:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What decisions about Appearance have been made?

What are the dominant Themes?
Which Techniques are at work?
Through which Channels does information flow?
How is Language used?
Which forms of Power are in operation?
What is the Psychological Object at the centre of the discourse?

In your answer you should try to demonstrate an awareness of the main assumptions
of discursive psychology.
The test is a seen test so you can bring notes and your own printouts of the web
pages into the test with you.
Recommended Reading
Black, A. (2003) Medicating Normality: the psychiatric colonisation of childhood,
Academy for the Study of Psychoanalytic Arts,
http://www.academyanalyticarts.org/black.2.htm
Coppock, V. (2002) Medicalising childrens behavior, pp.139-154 in B. Franklin (ed.)
The New Handbook of Childrens Rights. London: Routledge. Pt. 3 Ch.7
Additional References
Mchoul, A. & Rapley, M. (2005). A case of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
diagnosis: Sir Karl and Francis B. slug it out on the consulting room floor.
Discourse & Society, 16(3), 419449.
Newnes, C. & Radcliffe, N. (Eds.) (2005). Making and breaking childrens lives.
PCCS books. [Elizabeth Gaskell Library 362.76/MAK Short Loan] Chs. 4-7.
Rowe, D. (2005). ADHD Adults fear of frightened children. Journal of Critical
Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, 5, 1, 10-13. [EG PERIODICAL]
Schubert, S., Hansen, S. and Rapley, R. (2005). There is no pathological test: More
on ADHD as rhetoric. Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and
Psychotherapy, 5, 3: 151-160.
Singh, I. (2002a). Biology in context: Social and cultural perspectives on ADHD.
Children & Society, 16, 3607.
Singh, I. (2002b) Bad Boys, Good Mothers, and the Miracle of Ritalin. Science in
Context 15, 577603.
Timmi, S. (2002) Pathological Child Psychiatry and the Medicalization of Childhood.
Hove and New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Timimi, S. (2005) Naughty Boys: antisocial behaviour, ADHD and the role of culture.
London: Palgrave.