Memorable, Meaningful, Pleasurable
An Exploratory Examination of Narrative Character Deaths
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13629289 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kaitlin Fitzgerald (0000-0002-4491-1768, Department of Communication, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, United States, corresponding author), C Joseph Francemone (0000-0003-3075-4412, The Ohio State University), Mary Grizzard (0000-0003-2883-0308, The Ohio State University) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 86 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 553-575 |
| Publication date | 2020-12-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0030222820981236 |
| PMID | 33308012 |
| OpenAlex | W3112057007 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 37 |
The current manuscript presents a study that examines contextual factors that can explain two distinct types of viewer responses to death in narratives. Using procedures developed in past research, we explore why some narrative character deaths elicit poignant, eudaimonic responses while others elicit joyful, hedonic responses. We incorporate a control group to examine whether freely-recalled memorable deaths are more closely associated with feelings of meaning or pleasure. Results suggest that meaningful deaths lead to appreciation; befall liked, moral characters; and elicit mixed/negative affect, whereas pleasurable deaths lead to enjoyment; befall disliked, immoral characters, and elicit positive affect. In addition, freely-recalled character death is more closely aligned with meaningful death and its correlates than pleasurable death and its correlates. We conclude with a discussion of how the current findings can improve the use of mediated death in clinical settings, particularly as a strategy for approaching instances of disenfranchised grief
Affect (linguistics · Art · Character (mathematics · Developmental psychology · Feeling · Grief · Literature · Meaning (existential · Narrative · Pleasure · Psychotherapist · Communication · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,4 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |