Framing Inspirational Content: Narrative Effects on Attributions and Helping

Media and Communication

article

Melissa M. Moore¹  Melanie C. Green¹  Kaitlin Fitzgerald¹  Elaine Paravati² 

[1] Department of Communication, University at Buffalo–State University of New York;Department of Psychology, Hamilton College

关键词: attributions of responsibility;    issue framing;    narrative;    prosocial;   

DOI  :  10.17645/mac.v9i2.3788

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Cogitatio Press

【 摘 要 】

Media coverage often construes stories of misfortune as inspirational accounts of individuals overcoming challenges. Thesereports fail to address the systemic issues that have predisposed these individuals to their current situation, and mayhave unintended consequences when it comes to the ability to collectively address these failings as a society. The currentresearch examines how audiences are affected by inspirational narrative framings by comparing responses to a narrativethat has inspirational coverage of a social challenge to one that includes direct acknowledgement of the larger systemicfailings. Participants (N = 495) were randomly assigned to 1) read an inspirational story about a boy saving up to buy awheelchair for his friend, 2) read a version of the story that emphasized the need for increased disability funding/services,or 3) a no-story control group. Both story conditions raised readers’ willingness to help people with disabilities. Importantly,emphasizing social responsibility shifted readers’ perceptions: readers of the social responsibility story were less likely tobelieve an individual with a disability was responsible for paying for their medical devices, believed that some collectivemeasures would have higher efficacy, and viewed the situation as less fair. Even though individuals in the social responsibility condition found the story less enjoyable, they were equally transported into it compared to the inspirational version,and were equally likely to want to share the story with others. Our results offer clear guidelines for media practitionerscovering individual struggles and systemic issues within society.

【 授权许可】

CC BY