Discourse analysis: exploring action, function and conflict in social texts

Focuses on discourse analysis, a recent development in social psychological methodology, concerned with how language is used to construct accounts of the social world which are used intentionally in attempts at persuasion and legitimization. Views language as the site of contradiction, paradox and contested power and focuses on its social rather than linguistic organization. Describes the methodology and illustrates it through references to published work in psychology and consumer research. Proposes a wide range of possible applications in marketing and gives warnings in relation to difficulties in practice and validation.