Universal stories: How narratives satisfy core motives |
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Authors: | Kristi A. Costabile Randi Shedlosky-Shoemaker Adrienne B. Austin |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USAcostabil@iastate.edu;3. Behavioral Sciences, York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA, USA;4. Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA |
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Abstract: | AbstractFor millennia, narratives have been a primary mode of oral discourse. Narrative presentation of information has been shown to facilitate interpersonal and group communication. However, research indicates that narratives are more than merely an adaptive mode of communication. Narrative is a fundamental – and perhaps foundational – element of social and cultural life. The present article posits that the centrality of narrative in social life is due to narrative’s ability to help satisfy the five core social motives, as identified by Fiske belonging, understanding, control, self-enhancement, and trust. In so doing, this article reviews empirical and theoretical work examining basic narrative processes, autobiographical narratives, and entertainment narrative consumption to illustrate how narrative thought helps to satisfies core human motives and in turn, how the narrative construction process informs self and identity formation. |
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Keywords: | Narrative autobiographical memory entertainment media social cognition |
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