The Polyphonic Narrative Voices within an LGB-Identifying International Sojourner: A Dialogical Self Perspective

Abstract

In this article, we focused on the polyphonic view of one’s narrative identity as dialogical, multiple, and decentralized. We first briefly summarized the major tenets of the dialogical self theory (DST) and discussed limited attention to individuals with intersecting marginalized identities within the DST literature. To illustrate the complexity and interwovenness of such individuals, we employed a composite case study of Lee, an East Asian gay sojourner in the U.S. who is negotiating the process of coming out. We dissected three of Lee’s I-positions (i.e., I-as-Queer, I-as-Moral, I-as-Diasporic) across two different time points and discussed the dialogical relationships between each position both spatially and temporally. Lastly, we discuss DST-oriented clinical strategies and potential directions for future research.

Keywords:

• Narrative identity
• dialogical self theory
• coming out
• international
• intersectionality