ABSTRACT
The chapter maps the seminal approaches in discourse analysis that make use of psychological concepts. Although most CDA theorists neglect the psychological dimension, van Dijk’s sociocognitive approach explicates the relations between language, psychology and society. Relying primarily on social psychology and tools from pragmatics, van Dijk proposes a contextual understanding of discourse, linking it to macro-sociological processes of power and ideology. In contrast, the recent perspectives to discourse like critical metaphor studies and cognitive language approach focus more on the cognitive representations of ideology through language. However, all the methods are constructivist and critical instance, asserting that discourse analysts need to explore more deeply the psychological dimension to understand individuals and society.
