Case
Abstract
This methods-in-action case presents a qualitative methodology for the analysis of people's understanding and discussion of interpersonal and social controversial issues. I consider the possibilities and challenges of integrating cognitive and discursive lenses to account for two components that determine critical inquiry and controversy: the intellectual quality of individuals' reflection, and the shaping force of cultural narratives and social context. An analytic counterpoint between these approaches is proposed and demonstrated through the analysis of one adolescent girl's reflection about her involvement in a bullying incident in her school. The proposed methodology can be used more widely in the analysis of individual and collective engagement in critical reflection and the discussion of controversial issues.