The Stories
We Live By
A free online course
in ecolinguistics
www.storiesweliveby.org.uk
by Arran Stibbe
University of
Gloucestershire
Part 2: Ideologies
Social Cognition
Linguistic Manifestation
Type
Explanation
What to look for
ideology
a story of how the world is and should be which
is shared by members of a group
a story that uses a packet of knowledge about
an area of life (a frame) to structure another
area of life
a story that uses a frame to structure a distinct
and clearly different area of life
discourses, i.e., clusters of linguistic features
characteristically used by the group
trigger words which bring a frame to mind
a story about whether an area of life is good or
bad
appraisal patterns, i.e., patterns of language which
represent an area of life positively or negatively
a story about what it means to be a particular
kind of person
a story about whether a particular description of
the world is true, uncertain or false
forms of language which define the characteristics
of certain kinds of people
facticity patterns, i.e., patterns of linguistic
features which represent descriptions of the world
as true, uncertain or false
patterns of language which fail to represent a
particular area of life at all, or which background
or distort it
patterns of language which give prominence to an
area of life
framing
metaphor (a
type of
framing)
evaluation
identity
conviction
erasure
a story that an area of life is unimportant or
unworthy of consideration
salience
a story that an area of life is important and
worthy of consideration
trigger words which bring a specific and distinct
frame to mind

A story of how the world is and should be,
which is shared by members of a group.
Ideology
Rebecca Solnit
We often speak as though the source
of so many of our problems is
complex and even mysterious. I'm
not sure it is. You can blame it all on
greed: the refusal to do anything
about climate change...the constant
robbing of the poor, the resultant
starving children, the war against
most of what is beautiful on this
Earth.
Ideology in neoclassical economics
Stories influence how we:
THINK
Ideology
a story shared by a
group
HUMANS ARE
FUNDAMENTALLY SELFISH
Neoclassical
Economists
TALK
and
ACT
Stories influence how we:
THINK
TALK
Ideology
Discourse
a story shared by a
group
characteristic language
used by a group
HUMANS ARE
FUNDAMENTALLY SELFISH
Neoclassical
Economists
and
ACT
Stories influence how we:
THINK
TALK
Ideology
Discourse
a story shared by a
group
characteristic language
used by a group
HUMANS ARE
FUNDAMENTALLY SELFISH
Neoclassical
Economists
and
ACT
Impact
impact on the
world

Microeconomics deals with the
behaviour of individual economic
units. These units include
consumers, workers, investors,
owners of land, business firms…
(ET1:3).
constructing an identity
based on the function of
consuming
Functionalisation

We believe that these assumptions
hold for most people in most
situations… More is better than less:
Goods are assumed to be desirable –
i.e., to be good. Consequently,
consumers always prefer more of any
good to less. In addition, consumers
are never satisfied or satiated; more is
always better, even if just a little better
(ET1:70).
Assumptions

people, both rich and poor, want
more than they can have (ET5:22).
High modality
the objective of owners – profit
maximisation – has the potential to differ
from that of managers, who are
concerned instead with their own private
benefits (ET2:242).
 the business strategy most appropriate to
the owner’s goals (i.e., profit
maximisation)? (ET5: 9)

Presupposition

Politicians are people too…self-interest is
as powerful a motive for political actors
as it is for consumers and firm owners
(ET3:471).
Presupposition
Common Cause for Nature
“
Speaking to our ‘consumer’ identity
suppresses our ‘civic’ identity. Appealing
to economic benefit…actively erodes our
environmental concern, our long-term
thinking, our civic motivation and even
our wellbeing. Such communications
instead make us more materialistic, less
likely to act environmentally, and less
motivated to volunteer or be politically
active. (Blackmore & Holmes 2013:13)
Stories influence how we:
THINK
TALK
Ideology
Discourse
a story shared by a
group
characteristic language
used by a group
HUMANS ARE
FUNDAMENTALLY SELFISH
Neoclassical
Economists
and
ACT
Impact
impact on the
world
The search for new
stories to live by…
EXAMPLE
We have now clearly distinguished the
‘happiness’…in GNH from the fleeting,
pleasurable ‘feel good’ moods so often
associated with that term. We know that
true abiding happiness cannot exist
while others suffer, and comes only
from serving others, living in harmony
with nature, and realising our innate
wisdom (GNH:7).
End of Part 2
BASED ON
chapter 2 of
Stibbe, Arran (2015)
Ecolinguistics: language,
ecology and the stories we
live by. London: Routledge
CREDITS
Produced by Arran Stibbe, with the assistance of:
Charlotte Dover
Alex James
Meg Shaw
Nicole Walker
and other volunteers from the International Ecolinguistics Association
and the University of Gloucestershire.
Filming by Unit One Films, http://unit1films.co.uk
COPYRIGHT
These materials have been produced for
public benefit and the producer places no
restriction on their subsequent re-use for
any purpose. However, copyright of images
and quotations used in these materials
remains with the original producers.
IMAGES
Head cogs
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World
Copyright: robertsrob / 123RF Stock Photo
(www.123rf.com/profile_robertsrob)
Society
Copyright: eobrazy / 123RF Stock Photo
(www.123rf.com/profile_eobrazy)
Nature person
Copyright: lenanet / 123RF Stock Photo
(www.123rf.com/profile_lenanet)
GNH
Courtesy The Centre for Bhutan Studies & GNH
Research
Book covers
For purposes of review and criticism
Shopping Bags
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REFERENCES
Blackmore, E. and Holmes, T., eds., 2013. Common cause for nature:
values and frames in conservation. Machynlleth, Wales: Public Interest
Research Centre.
GNH, 2012. A short guide to gross national happiness. Centre for
Bhutan Studies. www.bhutanstudies.org.bt
Solnit, R. 2012. Words are the greatest weapon for political activists.
Guardian (online) Oct 2012
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/29
Williams, Raymond (1989) Resources of hope: culture, democracy
and socialism. London: Verso
REFERENCES
REFERENCES TO ECONOMICS TEXTBOOKS
ET1
Pindyck, R. and Rubinfeld, D., 2012. Microeconomics (8th
edition). London: Pearson.
ET2
Estrin, S., Dietrich, M. and Laidler, D., 2012. Microeconomics
(6th Edition). London: Pearson.
ET3
Mankiw, G., 2011., Principles of Microeconomics (6th edition).
Nashville: South-Western.
ET4
Else, P. and Curwen, P., 1990. Principles of Microeconomics.
London: Unwin Hyman.
ET5
Sloman, J. and Jones, E., 2011. Economics and the Business
Environment (3rd edition). London: Prentice Hall.
ET6
Mankiw, N., 2003. Macroeconomics (5th edition). New York:
Worth Publishing.
OTHER IMAGES AND QUOTATIONS
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above are reproduced as fair dealing under
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