Stories That Bring Peace to the Mind: Communication and the Education of Feelings
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2000
Description
Communication not only elicits fleeting emotional reactions; it also influences how people learn to approach life emotionally. It does so by shaping perceptions and beliefs implicit in emotions, as well as ideas about the value and appropriateness of emotions. Furthermore, communicative experiences help develop people's capacity and inclination for particular feelings. This essay advances a concept of communication as education for the feelings, then examines the role of storytelling in this process. Four elements of storytelling have important consequences for listeners’ emotional lives: (a) narrative depiction of feelings, attitudes, and behavior; (b) the narrator's emotional stance; (c) listeners’ expectations; and (d) listeners’ emotional responses. The essay uses this analysis to examine how telling and hearing stories can help people learn to approach life with greater peace of mind.
Citation Information
Kirkwood, William. 2000. Stories That Bring Peace to the Mind: Communication and the Education of Feelings. Southern Communication Journal. Vol.66(1). 16-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10417940009373183 ISSN: 1041-794X