frameanalyses

Frame analysis, also referred to as frame analyses, is a conceptual approach in sociology and related disciplines that studies how people organize experience and communication through cognitive frames. A frame is a coherent structure of ideas that defines a situation, identifies participants, actions, and outcomes, and suggests what is at stake. By invoking or altering frames, individuals and groups interpret events, set goals, assign responsibility, and coordinate actions.

Originating with Erving Goffman, frame analysis was developed to explain how everyday interactions become meaningful; his book Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience (1974) articulated how frames guide perception and behavior across social contexts. The approach distinguishes between primary frames shaping everyday sense-making and situational frames that are invoked during interaction. In subsequent work, scholars introduced concepts such as frame alignment, frame resonance, framing processes, and master frames to describe how actors promote, negotiate, or contest particular interpretive schemas.

Methodologically, frame analysis relies on qualitative analysis of discourse, talk, narratives, and media content. Researchers examine how frames are constructed, how they change over time, and how participants attempt to deploy frames to mobilize support or manage conflict.

Applications include studies of social movements and political protest, media discourse and public policy debates, organizational communication, and cross-cultural interactions.

Critiques note challenges in operationalizing frames, the fluidity and context-dependence of framing, potential biases in frame detection, and varying definitions across disciplines. While Goffman's frame analysis emphasizes micro-level interpretation, related traditions such as framing theory in communication emphasizes how media selects and highlights aspects of reality to influence audiences; together they provide tools for analyzing interpretation and persuasion.

See also: Erving Goffman, frame alignment, social movement framing, framing theory.