Staying-at-Home with Tragedy

Self-expansion Through Narratives Promotes Positive Coping with Identity Threat

Bibliographic Data

ID19002820
AuthorsGuan Soon Khoo (0000-0001-6479-6894, School of Advertising and Public Relations, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1069, USA, corresponding author), Jeeyun Oh (0000-0003-4729-1370, School of Advertising and Public Relations, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1069, USA), Soya Nah (0000-0003-2061-9794, School of Advertising and Public Relations, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1069, USA)
Year2021
Volume47
Issue3
Pages309-334
Publication date2021-06-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Communication Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0360-3989 • E-ISSN: 1468-2958
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/hcr/hqab005
PMID34393659
OpenAlexW3176456153
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited31

The COVID-19 pandemic created a historic opportunity to study the link between identity threat and individuals' temporary expansion of the boundaries of the self (TEBOTS) through stories. Concurrently, the relationship between eudaimonic entertainment processes and self-expansion, particularly feeling moved and self-awareness, was examined. A quasi-experiment was conducted with an online sample (N = 172) that was randomly assigned to watch either a tragic drama or comedy. Results showed that key TEBOTS predictions were largely confirmed for boundary expansion and the outcomes of narrative engagement and entertainment gratifications. Although identity threat was negatively associated with positive coping with the pandemic, this relationship turned positive when mediated by boundary expansion. Further, exposure to tragedy raised feelings of "being moved," which, in turn, was linked to self-perceptual depth and expanded boundaries of the self downstream. The present findings suggest that self-expansion through story consumption could benefit viewers' positive reframing of challenging life experiences

Art · Developmental psychology · Drama · Feeling · Narrative · Psychotherapist · Visual arts · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access