A qualitative exploration of positive psychology concepts in the film Wadjda and implications for future research

ABSTRACT

Positive psychology has often used both fictional and nonfictional examples to describe positive traits and outcomes. However, a film’s contribution to understanding of experiences has been rather underresearched in positive psychology literature. Although researchers in areas including journalism and film studies have conducted such investigations over the years, positive psychologists are yet to pursue this actively. This article is an attempt to explore positive psychology concepts displayed in the film Wadjda through thematic analysis. The film is about the life of an ordinary girl who displays positive outcomes under circumstances that might have overwhelmed others. This article focuses on the journey of the characters in the film and attempts to identify positive psychology features in the story. Although all characters portrayed in the film are shown to be undergoing some challenge, they are depicted as handling their life circumstances in a healthy manner. The story radiates positivity and fits Niemiec’s criteria of a positive psychology film. The article concludes by highlighting the need to conduct research on positive psychology films and its application in different areas.     

“We are on air now”: the emotionality of video-recording in the institutional setting

Abstract

This article engages with the practice of video recording in social research. We draw on our research of institutional talk to explore the emotionality of video recording in the context of the studied situations. Drawing on insights from Collins’ theory of interaction rituals, we demonstrate a variety of situational moments in which different participants negotiate the presence of a video camera. Our analysis reveals the emotional aspects of negotiating and appropriating the presence of such technologies by all parties involved in the research process. We contribute to and extend the growing body of literature that discusses the meaning of technology for social research by emphasizing the emotionality of using video cameras in social and research practices.     

‘This is just so unfair!’: A qualitative analysis of loss-induced emotions and tilting in on-line poker

Poker is a game of skill and chance, where players often experience significant monetary losses. Detrimental out-of-control poker decision-making due to negative emotions is known as tilting. A qualitative assessment of losing and tilting was conducted by analysing stories about significant monetary losses, written by Finnish on-line poker players (N = 60). Thematic and narrative analyses uncovered five themes and a narrative structure underlying the aetiology and phenomenology of tilting. Tilting, in the narratives, was often instigated by dissociative feelings (‘unreality’, disbelief) following a significant monetary loss. Thereafter, moral indignation was experienced, followed by chasing behaviour, in an attempt to restore a ‘fair balance’ between wins and losses. In the aftermath of tilting, self-focused feelings of disappointment, depression and/or anxiety, and sleeping problems were experienced. It was also observed that experienced players, as compared to inexperienced ones, exhibited in their narratives a more mature disposition towards encountering ‘bad luck’, and losing in general. The results are relevant in better understanding psychological processes related to losing in the multifaceted game of poker, thus contributing also to existing knowledge on detrimental gambling behaviour.     

情绪的空间性

情绪的理解和表达与身体的空间结构有很多对应的地方．这些空间结构包括“方向”“上下”和“深度”等,将身体纳入到认知研究范畴中的“具身”观念同样也论证了情绪具有空间性,情绪的空间性是通过身体表现出来的。     

《文心雕龙·比兴》篇的理论建树及其在传统诗学中的地位

古人做诗重视比兴,相关的言说与儒家《诗》学一脉相承。比兴有表现手法和美刺两重意义,虽然自汉代起就屡有诠解,但古代唯独《文心雕龙.比兴》堪称成篇的专论,其"显隐"、"附理"、"起情"以及"拟容取心"之说涵盖了"比兴"的渊源、意义、思维特征和艺术传达特点,尤其是以"物"为中介进行间接性艺术传达的功效与意义,对传统诗学作出了重大的理论贡献。     

独特地域渗透着独特情感——论当今四位作家的地域文化散文

地域文化散文是作者从地域文化视角来进行散文创作的 ,地域文化因素主要来自两个方面 :一是来自表现对象 ,包括自然景观与人文景观两部分 ;一是来自作家 ,独特地域渗透着独特情感。当代四位作家余秋雨、素素、贾平凹、张承志等的地域文化散文主要分别展示为江浙文化、东北文化、秦地文化、北方文化。     

Jane's Jealousy: A Narrative Analysis of Emotion Experience in Its Social Context

This article provides a narrative analysis of one written account of jealousy. The analysis assumes the importance of cultural, historical, and social context in making sense of the experience of jealousy. Our analysis was organized around the positioning triad of story line, positioning, and social acts. We were particularly guided by a structural Labovian (1972) approach to the basic story line. The story we examined was chosen for its useful illustration of three subject positions: victim, avenger, and outsider. The analysis highlights the way in which jealousy is constituted through a sequential unfolding of events that are made meaningful within the context of local mores, adolescent romance, and revenge.     

诗兴活动与中国传统审美心理

"兴"是中国古典诗学的一个重要范畴。"兴"从创作对象的角度来说,倡导缘物而感;从作者主观方面来说,提倡寓情写意;从主客观合一的作品层面来说,倡举意在言外、回味无穷的审美境界。通过对"兴"的考察与分析,可以从中看到中国传统的心物关系与灵感理论的基本特点。不仅诗兴活动是中华民族对待心物的审美态度在诗学精神中的升华,而且中国诗学精神本身也正是通过"兴"这一重要范畴显示出来。     

Smith's Sentiments (1759) and Wright's Passions (1601): the beginnings of sociology

Treatments of sources of Adam Smith's sociological theory of the self and associated ideas in The Theory of Moral Sentiments typically refer to classical antecedents or the work of his teacher Francis Hutcheson or his contemporary David Hume. During the seventeenth century, however, many books on the passions were published in London that arguably constitute an important but neglected source of Smith's treatment of moral sentiments. These works are largely forgotten today but at the time were widely read. They are not philosophical, partly devotional and predominantly psychological. Although Smith does not refer to these works his argument resembles theirs in many places. The importance of the seventeenth-century books on the passions, apart from their role in the history of psychology, is their bearing on contemporary economic practices. In this paper the connections between Smith and one of these books, Thomas Wright's The Passions of the Minde in Generall, are indicated.     

Moving Smiles: The Role of Dynamic Components for the Perception of the Genuineness of Smiles

Three experiments were conducted to examine whether the temporal dynamics of Duchenne-smiles influenced the perception of smile authenticity. Realistic computer-generated Duchenne-smiles that varied in their onset- and offset-durations (Experiment 1), or only in their offset-duration (Experiment 2), or in both their onset- and apex-durations (Experiment 3), were created using Poser 4 software. Perceived genuineness varied monotonically with the duration of each manipulated dynamic component. The results are in accordance with Ekman and Friesens (1982) observations regarding the duration of smiles of enjoyment, which suggest that each dynamic component has a distinct duration range that can influence the perceived genuineness of smiles.We wish to thank Jesse Spencer-Smith for sharing the AU morph targets that have been developed in the context of his research.