Self-Assessment as a Dilemmatic Communicative Practice: Talk among Psychics in Training

Abstract

This study examines meetings of pedagogical importance in a community whose members are training to become certified psychic readers. During these sessions, called “cleanout meetings,” psychics in training report to their peers about the readings they completed earlier that night. Using grounded practical theory and action implicative discourse analysis, this study takes a communicative and practical approach to self-assessment as students give accounts of their readings. In this context of cleanout meetings, self-assessment takes on two forms that implicate it as a dilemmatic practice whereby participants manage evaluation and acceptance in their reports of their performances. The discussion section raises issues related to talking about the self and achievement in everyday contexts, especially in learning environments.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Karen Tracy, Jennifer Thackaberry Ziegler, and Emmett Winn for their insights that enhanced this manuscript. An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2007 National Communication Association convention, Chicago, IL.

Notes

The Institute for Psychic Readers & Church of Light Within is a pseudonym, as are all names for people and places.

Meetings were transcribed using a simplified version of the Jeffersonian transcription system (Atkinson & Heritage, 1984). Transcription symbols include:

?	=	Rising intonation (sounding like a question)
.	=	Falling intonation
-	=	An abrupt cutoff
::	=	Prolonging of sound
never	=	Stressed syllable or word
>word<	=	Noticeably quicker speech
o	=	softer speech
hh	=	Aspiration or laughter
[	=	Simultaneous or overlapping speech
(.)	=	Micropause, 0.2 second or less
()	=	Nontranscribable segment of talk
(())	=	Transcribers comment or description
↑ ↓	=	Rise or fall in pitch

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert R. Agne

Robert R. Agne, Department of Communication and Journalism, Auburn University.