Forms, Functions, and Foibles of Humor Used in AIDS Service Organizations

Abstract

Research has indicated that HIV service providers commonly use humor to cope with work-related stress; however, little is known about the forms and functions of humor used by these professionals. In this study, 25 HIV service providers from five AIDS service organizations were interviewed about their use of humor. Participants described five primary types of humor as prevalent within AIDS service organizations and noted that humor served a variety of functions, which were either adaptive or maladaptive. Adaptive functions included boosting morale and reducing tension, whereas maladaptive functions ranged from masking emotions to alienating certain groups. Results emphasized the importance of context in the study of humor use and the need for continued investigations of the stress and coping of HIV service providers.

Humor and Resiliency: Towards a Process Model of Coping and Growth

“…Initial evidence comes from anecdotal or case report studies that have documented the use of humor to cope with the extremely traumatic events typically encountered by emergency service personnel, such as police, firefighters, and those in medical settings. Workers in these highly stressful occupations often employ cynical humor or "gallows humor" to relieve tension, vent their feelings, and cope with stress in settings such as the emergency room (Rowe & Regehr, 2010;van Wormer, & Boes, 1997) or as HIV service providers (Kosenko & Rintamaki, 2010). It has been suggested that humor is used adaptively in these adverse situations to help detach or distance the self and also foster group cohesion and social support, in order to ensure that personnel can act effectively under these traumatic circumstances.…”

“…These observational studies are extremely rich in descriptive detail and high on ecological validity (being real-life high stress settings); but they also display little experimental control, thus limiting any firm conclusions. Although many of these reports certainly describe the personal use of humor that would fit well within a resiliency framework, these case studies also refer to other uses of humor that are quite maladaptive for the individual, such as inappropriately masking emotions or pain, or alienating others by using cynical humor (Kosenko & Rintamaki, 2010). Furthermore, longitudinal research with some service providers has found that police officers displaying greater levels of humor were actually at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, greater body mass, and increased smoking (Kerkkänen, Kuiper, & Martin, 2004), thus seriously challenging the humor and resiliency link.…”

“…Recall that some of these detrimental effects are described quite well in the case study reports included earlier in this article. Kosenko and Rintamaki (2010), for example, reported that HIV service providers also used humor in a maladaptive manner to mask emotions or pain, with the result being less effective working relationships.…”

Αίσθηση Του Χιούμορ Και Χαρισματικά Παιδιά: Όταν Ο Έξυπνος Περνιέται Για «εξυπνάκιας»

“…Από την άλλη πλευρά, το χιούμορ δύναται να καταστεί συγχυτικός παράγοντας καθώς δεν είναι σπάνιο να γίνεται χρήση του χιούμορ σε περιπτώσεις μη προσαρμοστικές για το άτομο, όπως όταν το άτομο επικαλύπτει τα συναισθήματά του ή τον πόνο ή απομακρύνει τους άλλους κάνοντας χρήση της κυνικότητας (Kosenko & Rintamaki, 2010). Οι χαρισματικοί μαθητές χρησιμοποιούν το χιούμορ τους ως μία ευκαιρία μέσα στην τάξη για να καταπολεμήσουν την ανία που αισθάνονται με αποτέλεσμα να γίνονται κουραστικοί για εκπαιδευτικούς και συμμαθητές.…”