ADMINISTRATIVE DYNAMICS AND NARRATIVE PSYCHOMETRICS: EXPLORING INSTITUTIONAL TRUST, RESILIENCE, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTS THROUGH ENGLISH LITERATURE

Abstract

Understanding the interplay between administration, governance, and human psychology requires innovative methods that capture lived experience beyond traditional metrics. This study introduces narrative psychometrics, an interdisciplinary approach that leverages novels as empirical tools to examine psychological and institutional dynamics. Focusing on Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, the research investigates how literature reflects and shapes perceptions of institutional trust, alienation, and resilience. Using a mixed-method design that combined thematic literary analysis with a reader-response survey of 120 participants, results showed strong patterns: depressive experiences were consistently identified in The Bell Jar (78%), perceptions of institutional oppression in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (65%), and resilience and trauma recovery in The God of Small Things (71%). These findings complement traditional psychometric assessments while revealing nuanced cultural and administrative insights. By situating literary narratives within the study of governance, narrative psychometrics offers a novel framework for exploring the psychological dimensions of administration, informing policy, and enhancing understanding of institutional-human dynamics.