Herold, Lilith Levana

Jørgensen, Signe Busk

Salzmann, Sara Friis

Schubert, Jule

Inspired by a discursive psychological approach, this research explores how the narration of climate change in Danish media shapes normative conceptions of the phenomenon. The relevance of this project emerges in the accelerating degradation of the planet. This research, therefore, aims to shed light on psychology’s increasingly prominent role in understanding climate (in)action, thus contributing to more interdisciplinary research on climate change responses. The topic is explored by asking the question; How do the interpretative repertoires found in Danish media shape normative conceptions of climate change and thus climate change mitigation?Through the analytical model of interpretative repertoires, as coined by Discursive Psychologists Jonathan Potter and Margaret Wetherell, 47 climate-related news articles from the four largest media publishers in Denmark, Ekstra Bladet, B.T., TV2 Nyheder, and DR Nyheder, are analysed. The analytical findings are conceptualised through a theoretical framework inspired by narrative psychology. It includes Narrative Theorists Molly Andrews and Rosemary Randall, Professor of Sociology Annika Arnold, Philosopher Rosi Braidotti, and Psychologist and Politician Per Espen Stoknes.The analytical findings reveal the dominant interpretive repertoires: ‘Apocalypse’, ‘Optimism’, ‘Distance’, and ‘Heroes, Villains and Victims’. The research concludes that such repertoires are capable of shaping normative conceptions of climate change because they foster different psychological phenomena, such as fear, hope, and projection, which have societal and ecological consequences.Keywords: Discursive Psychology, Interpretative Repertoires, Narrative Psychology, Climate Change, Global Warming, Media, Climate Communication

What Climate Narratives Matter? A Discursive Psychological Approach to Danish Media's Narration of Climate Change

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Roskilde Universitet