The Function of Genre in Clinical Health Psychology The development of the new perspective of genre criticism has much

of its roots in Carolyn R. Millers (1984) Genre as Social Action. This essay was influential because it was one of the first to address genre as a sociocognitive tool rather than a set of formal rules which classify texts. Hence, Miller prompted an important conversation about how genre is conceived and interpreted. Since then, many texts (Beaufort, 1999; Berkenkotter & Huckin, 1993; Devitt, Bawarshi, & Reiff, 2003) have added to the body of knowledge on genre analysis, rhetorical theory, and discourse communities. This literature establishes an overarching view that genre criticism is an ethnomethodological tool that helps individuals understand how genres function within their specific discipline. Many scholars are still working to deconstruct genre to make it less abstract and more tangible. Utilizing ethnomethodology for the analysis of genre is valuable for both the writer and the reader. Miller contends that in order for genre to be rhetorically sound (p. 151), it must focus on what meaningful action it is being used to accomplish. In other words, when those who develop and interpret the discourse have experiences that reciprocate the communitys values and norms, genre is being used to its fullest potential. This is why using viewing genre as a taxonomical device is unsatisfactory. According to Berkenkotter and Huckin (1993), it is not enough to simplify genres to their form and context because it does not enable us to determine anything about the ways in which genre is embedded in the communicative activities of a discipline (p. 476). In other words, the way language is systematically transmitted and received throughout a discourse community has much more significance for analyzing genre than does assessing constituent features that pertain to a genre. This perspective is now known and widely accepted by many scholars as the sociocognitive approach to genre analysis.

In order to achieve an expertise of particular genres, then, it is important to become immersed in the community for which one will write. However, interviews conducted by Anne Beaufort (1999) indicate that the enculturation of a member into a particular discipline is not a leisurely task. Indeed, Berkenkotter & Huckin compare the task to second language acquisition when they assert that genre knowledge is obtained through a lengthy period of apprenticeship and enculturation (p. 487). Not only is there a range of linguistic and contextual knowledge that contributes to the knowledge of a particular genre, but one must also be well aware of the social interactions that occur within the discourse community (Devitt, Bawarshi, & Reiff, 2003, p. 551). Based on the current literature, it is clear that learning the conventions of a genre can take years of intensive training and participation within a particular community. Even for those who have obtained expert knowledge of the genre, Berkenkotter & Huckin maintain that genres are inherently dynamic, constantly changing over time in response to the sociocognitive needs of individual users (481). This implies that those who have mastered genres within a professional discourse must also be sensitive to changes that could occur within their lifetime. Evidently, there is much to be said about the functions of genre and communication within a particular community. However, it is important to expand upon the current literature in order to explain how people within a disciplinary discourse adapt to the dynamic nature of genre and language within a social context. Additionally, there is value in examining the significance of why it is that methods of communication change to better suit the discourse community. This is particularly significant within the field of psychology. The first texts of contemporary psychology appeared around the 17th century and laid the foundation for the fields central purpose. Today, this is crucial because psychology has evolved from a general subject to one with dozens of specialized disciplines. As a consequence, there is a tremendous variety of

literature regarding different topics. Specifically, this essay analyzes three genres from the field of clinical health psychology: a peer-reviewed empirical journal article (Campisi et al., 2012), a literature review (McCrae, Dzierzewski, & Kay, 2009), and a research proposal (Degelman, Dvorak, & Homutoff, 2010). Clinical health psychology is a relatively new field in psychology and applies a broad range of scientific knowledge in order to achieve a few main goals. These goals include, but are not limited to, the promotion and maintenance of health behaviors, improvement of the health care system, and the prevention and treatment regimens of particular illnesses and disabilities. An individual must obtain a doctorate degree in order to be considered a professional within the field. It is recommended to attend a school that has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) because these schools have been deemed consistent with the APAs guidelines and principles for accreditation. The APA is the most highly-recognized scientific and professional organization in the United States and has hundreds of thousands of members involved in expanding the role of psychology around the globe. These members include educators, students, clinicians, and professionals. Their mission, according to APAs website, is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve peoples lives (APA, 2013). The APA lays out a foundation of the strategies and goals of psychology and the organization communicates this in such a way that aids psychologists in understanding genre knowledge and conventions within the discourse community. More importantly, the organization connects psychologists across the United States and is the source of the exigence for psychology. Without it, psychologists would not be equipped with the knowledge, norms, and values necessary for interacting with others and writing within discipline.

The genre analysis proved to be very intriguing. While all three were quite different in a variety of ways, they all shared a similar motivation; or as Miller (1984) would describe, social action. Essentially, the motivation stems from the APAs mission statement, but that does not mean that each genre accomplishes the same goal. Berkenkotter & Huckin (1993) emphasize that socially induced perceptions of commonality do not eradicate subjective perceptions of difference (p. 481). As a consequence, each individual within the psychological community has his or her own unique understanding of the world. For example, clinicians utilize a variety of treatment methods for illnesses and disabilities, but there is not always agreement on which method is the most beneficial. McCrae, Dzierzewski, & Kay (2009) discuss treatment methods for older adults with insomnia in their scholarly literature review. The authors included 84 empirically sound sources to support the conclusion that behavioral techniques for treatment were the most effective in treating late-life insomnia. The authors clearly state that based on the research they reviewed, behavioral techniques should be favored over pharmaceuticals or cognitive methods of treatment. Their motivation for writing the essay stems from APAs mission statement because they felt it would advance the application of psychology within a clinical health psychology setting. However, the authors were not intending this review to be read by anyone other than clinicians who encounter patients with insomnia. Since it is written so exclusively, the tone of the review is highly academic and includes hefty medical jargon; using terms such as comorbid and benzodiazepine-receptor agonists. As Devitt (2003) mentions, technical language is an indication that the genre is highly specialized and not meant for novice users. In one section of the review, the authors actually list steps for assessing late-life insomnia, implying that they expect the audience to utilize it as a guide for diagnostic and treatment procedures. Consequently,

it is an excellent tool for clinicians; not only because the format is easy to navigate, but because it synthesizes a variety of evidence into a distinct argument. Similarly to the literature review, one of the most recognizable genres within psychological discourse is the experimental journal article. In a recent experiment, Campisi et al. (2012) hypothesized that a significant relationship exists between Facebook, stress, and incidence of upper respiratory infection in college students. Given that Facebook is a relatively new method of communication, this study has what Berkenkotter & Huckin (1993) call novelty (p. 490). This concept is what provokes psychologists to explore the realm of information and conduct their own research to expand upon psychological theories. Novelty is crucial for the development of psychology because it makes sense of past research through critical analysis in order to arrive at new insights about a certain topic. It does not mean that psychologists must create new information that has never been heard of in the past. Dirk (2010) concludes that it is necessary to make use of scholarly texts of the past because it would be difficult to have to create a new form of discourse each time (p. 259). Familiarization of other psychologists research is critical for generating hypotheses because it helps the writer to grasp the current academic conversation (Berkenkotter & Huckin, 1993, p. 485) and decide if his or her research question is of value. As emphasized by Beaufort (1999), Genre knowledge was incomplete if divorced from full knowledge of the discourse community in which it functioned (p. 135). This is why conducting a literature review is an important task in psychology regardless of which genre is being used. However, this assumes that the author(s) conducting the review have already obtained a holistic understanding of psychological knowledge; that is, they are equipped with the necessary background knowledge, procedural knowledge, and social knowledge needed to carry out effective research writing.

While all of the genres have a highly recognizable style and format, each is important for the future of psychology because they add to the body of knowledge that will be expounded on in the future. Without APAs stringent guidelines for writing in psychology, the field would be extremely unorganized and communication between psychologists would be difficult. As seen by genre analysts, genres are fluid entities and require as much human interaction and enculturation as possible. The discourse community for psychology is vital because without it, it would be impossible to navigate the vast amount of literature that exits. As the analysis shows, all research requires a scholarly literature review beforehand. Without understanding how to critically analyze another psychologists research for strengths and weaknesses, research questions would never be posed. Thus, the field of psychology would never move forward.