Metaphorizing identity: A rhetorical/ethnographic account of persuasion, invention, and the process of identity transformation in Alcoholics Anonymous

My study combines rhetorical criticism and narrative ethnography to illustrate and analyze the persuasive process that occurs for individuals as they join and maintain membership in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). My method is a interdisciplinary approach that reveals the process of "metaphorizing" that has until now not been sufficiently understood. The study focuses of several key questions including: What do AA's techniques of socialization and persuasion achieve? Do these techniques lead to fuller or more constrained lives? How do AA members reconcile tensions created by the discourse in AA in order to maintain identification? What happens when members make decisions that go against AA's usually clear and dogmatic answers? How do women respond to and overcome the sometimes patriarchal language and attitudes they face in AA? My study describes the invitational nature of AA's discourse by combining descriptions of my own experiences with the findings of my analysis of AA discourse in literature and in the interviews. I show how the narratives open the door for persuasion by establishing ethos and a promise of freedom and control over alcoholism. AA members convince newcomers to identify and become part of the AA by metaphorically framing alcoholism and other key concepts in an alternative ways. The metaphorical frames that invite newcomers in become the very things that hold them in and create a dependence on the organization. I also describe the historical struggle of women in AA since its inception and illustrate how newcomer women are stigmatized by the language and behavior of AA members and how they adapt to the potential barriers and find success in AA. I describe various influences from academia and interpersonal relationships that empowered me to reclaim my identity and to understand the process of persuasion that AA evokes. My study shows how critical thinking about the rules of language that govern identity and behavior can promote transformation in the critic. I offer a clear case that shows how knowledge of language strategies changes one's rhetorical frame of perception and empowers individuals to become active participants in identity construction.