Episodic master narratives through time: Exploring the temporal dynamism of 2016 election night stories

Master narratives are culturally vetted stories that guide collective action. Over an 18‐month period, we examined the dynamism inherent in master narratives of the 2016 American presidential election. In assessments separated six months apart, four independent samples of Clinton and Trump voters provided their stories of election night 2016 and rated the positivity and vividness of these experiences. Narratives were additionally quantified along both linguistic (I‐talk and We‐talk) and conceptual (redemption and contamination) dimensions. Over time: (a) election night experiences became less vivid, (b) the proportion of We‐words in election night narratives increased (suggesting greater group identification), (c) Clinton supporters’ evaluations of their election nights became marginally more positive (suggesting an increased optimism), and (d) Trump supporters’ narratives became less redemptive (suggesting a reduced enthusiasm for this historical event). These results signal the enduring and dynamic elements of the narratives central to two of America's diametrically opposed sociopolitical groups.