| dc.description.abstract | This master thesis is a discourse analysis of sexual discourse in the purity movement in the USA. With focus on the main concepts in the discourse the thesis aimes to answer the following research question: How and why does the purity movement use literary techniques to create or maintain their discursive reality and group identity? Based in self-help litterature and chat forum logs within an christian, evangelical arena, the research question is investigated through the lenses of discourse psychology and social identity theory. Elements of metaphor definition theory will also be used to illuminate different cases in the analysis.
Through analysis the thesis reveals a discursive conflict where the purity movements meaningful concepts – purity, virginity and sex - are negotiated. The battle is about the contents of the categories the concepts represent. It is argued that the discursive conflict is crucial for the future of the movement.
To answer why the purity movement utilizes different literary techniques to negotiate their sexual discourse, the thesis uses social identity theory. The evaluation processes social categorisation and social comparison explain how members of the purity movement categorize and compare themselves and others on the basis of above mentioned concepts. Social mobilty and social change explain how the movement negotiate their group membership along the lines of the concepts.
Where the uncertainty arises on an intra-group level, the movements social identity is robust on a inter-group level. This is argued based on religion as a social identity and the movements opposition to the secular mainstream. The thesis concludes that the discursive conflict on an intra-group level is creating a new discursive reality for the members. At the same time the movements position on an inter-group level is maintained. | nb_NO |
