The science of bridging differences and the dialogic transformation of conflict: a case study from «This is Us»
Article Sidebar
250)
Main Article Content
Authors
Abstract
357
In a climate of increasing social and political polarisation, there is much interest in dialogue and bridging differences. This article investigates the dramatisation of dialogic conflict resolution, examining how the psychological science of bridging differences can be utilised to create realistic and emotionally engaging narratives that highlight the transformative impact of dialogue on character development and relational dynamics. Relational conflicts have long been recognised as possible catalysts for character transformation, and complex narratives (Mittell, 2015) are particularly appropriate for a nuanced representation of characters’ psychological experiences throughout the process. This study draws upon extensive psychological and communication research on bridging differences compiled by Shigeoka et al. (2020) and UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (2021). It reorganises this research into a horizontal timeline of behaviours, highlighting their practical application during the conflict resolution process. It then makes a cognitive poetics analysis of how these behaviours may be observed in a case study of relational conflict from the complex television series This is Us (NBC, 2016-2022). By observing the impact these behaviours have on the transformation of characters, the study explores how credible dialogic relational conflicts can lead to verisimilar character transformation on screen. In addition, it considers how an artistic interpretation of the science of bridging differences can contribute to our understanding of dialogue in practice.
Keywords
References
Abbott, H. P. (2008). The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816932
Ackerman, A. & Puglisi, B. (2013). The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws. Florida: JADD.
Amaral, C. O. do & Baltar, M. (2021). Antecipação, complexidade narrativa e o melodrama paternal em This is Us. Ilha Do Desterro, 74(1). https://www.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2021.e74914
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Advances in Consumer Research. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Bennett, R. & Oliver, J. E. (2019). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. London: Routledge. https://www.doi.org/10.4324/9781351056144
Blanchet, R. & Vaage, M. B. (2012). Don, Peggy, and Other Fictional Friends? Engaging with Characters in Television Series. Projections, 6(2). https://www.doi.org/10.3167/proj.2012.060203
Bloom, P. (2016). Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion. New York: Harper Collins.
Bordwell, D., Thompson, K. & Smith, J. (2017). Film Art: An Introduction (11th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Calabrese, G. G. & Manello, A. (2021). Board diversity and performance in a masculine, aged and glocal supply chain: new empirical evidence. Corporate Governance, 21(7), 1440-1459. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/CG-09-2020-0417
Chi, J. (2020). Social Identification of the Pearson Family in This Is Us. ICSSSP2020, 519-523. https://www.doi.org/10.38007/proceedings.0001127
Foss, K. A. (2020). Death of the Slow-Cooker or #CROCK-POTISINNOCENT? This Is Us, Parasocial Grief, and the Crock-Pot Crisis. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 44(1), 69-89. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0196859919826534
Freedman, P. & Goldstein, K. (1999). Measuring Media Exposure and the Effects of Negative Campaign Ads. American Journal of Political Science, 43(4), 1189. https://www.doi.org/10.2307/2991823
García, A. N. (2016). Moral Emotions, Antiheroes and the Limits of Allegiance. In A. N. García (Ed.), Emotions in Contemporary TV Series (pp. 52-70). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56885-4_4
García, A. N. (2017). All the happy families... 'This is Us'. Diamantes En Serie. Retrieved from https://www.diamantesenserie.com/2017/06/12/todas-las-familias-felices-this-is-us/
García Martínez, A. & González, A. M. (2016). Emotional Culture and TV Narratives. In A. N. García (Ed.), Emotions in Contemporary TV Series (pp. 13-25). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56885-4_2
Gattoni, A. (2021). Family narratives and mental illness in "This is Us". In M. Johnson & C. J. Olson (Eds.), Normalizing Mental Illness and Neurodiversity in Entertainment Media: Quieting the Madness (pp. 37-52). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003011668-4
Gelfand, M. J., Leslie, L. M., Keller, K. & de Dreu, C. (2012). Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(6), 1131-1147. https://www.doi.org/10.1037/a0029993
Greater Good Science Center - UC Berkeley (2021). Bridging Differences. California: edX. Retrieved from https://www.edx.org/es/course/bridging-differences
Hoffman, B. L., Sidani, J. E., Wang, Y., Chang, J. & Burke, J. G. (2022). "It Encourages Family Discussion": A Mixed-Methods Examination of the This Is Us Alzheimer's Disease & Caregiving Storyline. Journal of Health Communication, 1-12. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2022.2111620
IMDb. (2023). This Is Us (2016-2022) Awards. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5555260/awards
Kearney, R. (2017). On Paul Ricœur: The Owl of Minerva. London: Routledge. https://www.doi.org/10.4324/9781315247700
Kiken, L. G. & Shook, N. J. (2011). Looking up: Mindfulness increases positive judgments and reduces negativity bias. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2(4), 425-431. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1948550610396585
Luisi, M. L. R., Jones, R. & Luisi, T. (2020). Randall Pearson: Framing Black Identity, Masculinity, Adoption and Mental Health in Television. Howard Journal of Communications, 31(1), 71-85. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2019.1608481
Marks, D. (2007). Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc. Studio City, CA: Three Mountain Press.
Marsh, J., Mendoza-Denton, R. & Smith, J. A. (2010). Are We Born Racist? New Insights from Neuroscience and Positive Psychology. Boston: Beacon Press.
McKee, R. (1997). Story Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting. New York: Harper Collins.
Mittell, J. (2015). Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. NY: NYU Press.
Murrar, S. & Brauer, M. (2018). Entertainment-education effectively reduces prejudice. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21(7), 1053-1077. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1368430216682350
Myers, S. (2022). The Protagonist's Journey. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2
Neal, J. (2018a). An Overview of the Field of Transformation. In J. Neal (Ed.), Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation (pp. 3-46). Cham: Springer. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66893-2_26
Neal, J. (Ed.). (2018b). Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation. Cham: Springer. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66893-2
Nelson, R. (2016). The Emergence of 'Affect' in Contemporary TV Fictions. In A. N. García (Ed.), Emotions in Contemporary TV Series (pp. 26-51). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56885-4_3
Nickels, B. M., Tenzek, K. E. & Lattimer, T. A. (2021). This Is Us: An Analysis of Mediated Family Communication at End-of-Life. Omega Journal of Death and Dying, 1-21. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/00302228211036307
Pearson, R. (2007). Anatomising Gilbert Grissom: The Structure and Function of the Televisual Character. In M. Allen (Ed.), Reading CSI: Crime TV Under the Microscope (pp. 55-56). New York: I.B. Tauris. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755696208.ch-003
Pettigrew, T. F. & Tropp, L. R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(5), 751-783. https://www.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.5.751
Ripley, A. (2021). High conflict: why we get trapped and how we get out. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Rosenberg, M. (2003). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. Puddledancer Press.
Ross, L. J. (2016). Calling In the Calling Out Culture: A Continuum of Accountability. Northampton: Smith College. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IIeeC1MG_QCI0Y4CKJpdT777PGjqHNe6mLzdOj3dD-M/pub
Sánchez-Escalonilla, A. (2006). Conflicto y guion cinematográfico. In M. A. Huerta Floriano & P. Sangro Colón (Eds.), Guion de ficción en cine: planteamiento, nudo y desenlace (Vol. 16, p. 200). Salamanca: Universidad Pontificia.
Sánchez-Escalonilla, A. (2013). Verisimilitude and Film Story: The Links between Screenwriter, Character and Spectator. Communication & Society, 26(2), 79-94. https://www.doi.org/10.15581/003.26.36124
Schiappa, E., Gregg, P. B. & Hewes, D. E. (2005). The parasocial contact hypothesis. Communication Monographs, 72(1), 92-115. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/0363775052000342544
Sclavi, M. (2008). The role of play and humor in creative conflict management. Negotiation Journal, 24(2), 157-180. https://www.doi.org/10.1111/j.1571-9979.2008.00175.x
Shigeoka, S., Marsh, J., Smith, J., Jilani, Z. & Proulx, E. (2020). Bridging Differences Playbook. Berkeley: Greater Good Science Center. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Bridging_Differences_Playbook-Final.pdf
SimanTov-Nachlieli, I., Shnabel, N., Aydin, A. L. & Ullrich, J. (2018). Agents of Prosociality: Agency Affirmation Promotes Mutual Prosocial Tendencies and Behavior Among Conflicting Groups. Political Psychology, 39(2), 445-463. https://www.doi.org/10.1111/pops.12418
Smith, M. S. (1995). Engaging Characters: Fiction, Emotion, and the Cinema. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Stahl, G. K. & Maznevski, M. L. (2021). Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A retrospective of research on multicultural work groups and an agenda for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(1), 4-22. https://www.doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00389-9
Stanford, C. & Stanford, G. (2018). The Neurobiology of Personal Transformation. In J. Neal (Ed.), Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation (pp. 123-146). Cham: Springer. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66893-2_13
Subirana Vilanova, M. (2018). Creativity to Flourish: Pathways Toward Appreciative Leadership. In J. Neal (Ed.), Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation (pp. 465-497). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66893-2_64
Tingle, E. L. (2021). Glimpses of acceptance through problem frames: An analysis of the lessons on fatness in the television series "This is Us". Fat Studies. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/21604851.2021.1996922
Truby, J. (2008). The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. New York: Faber & Faber.
Weiland, K. M. (2016). Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development. Scottsbluff: PenForASword.
Williams, L. (2012). Mega-Melodrama! Vertical and Horizontal Suspensions of the "Classical". Modern Drama, 55(4), 523-543. https://www.doi.org/10.1353/mdr.2012.0064
Zeki, S. (2004). The neurology of ambiguity. Consciousness and Cognition, 13(1), 173-196. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/J.CONCOG.2003.10.003
Zuberbuehler, K. (2018). Role of Flashbacks in Relationship Depiction in This is Us. Communication Studies, (85). Retrieved from https://pilotscholars.up.edu/cst_studpubs/85
Details
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
RIGHTS TRANSFER
By submitting the article for evaluation and subsequent publication in Communication & Society, the AUTHOR exclusively assigns the rights of public communication, reproduction, distribution and sale for commercial exploitation to the University of Navarra through its Publications Service, for the maximum legal term in force -the entire life of the author and seventy years after his death or declaration of death-, in any country, and in any of the current and future edition modalities, both in print and electronic versions.
In the event that the article is not accepted for publication , this transfer of rights lapses with the communication of the refusal to the AUTHOR.
The AUTHOR affirms that the article is unpublished, that it has not been sent simultaneously to another publication medium and that the rights have not been transferred exclusively previously. He is responsible to the University of Navarra through its Publications Service for the authorship and originality of his work, as well as for all pecuniary charges that may arise for the University of Navarra through its Publications Service, in favor of third parties due to actions, claims or conflicts arising from the breach of obligations by the AUTHOR.
