The role of moral disengagement in the enjoyment of real and fictional characters

Krakowiak, K. Maja; Tsay, Mina

doi:10.1504/ijart.2011.037772

Cited by 40 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…But, there is no doubt that viewers do enjoy these characters and the narratives they inhabit. Recent studies also verify the appeal of these characters (Janicke & Raney, 2011;Krakowiak & Tsay, 2011;Raney & Janicke, in press). How is this possible from an ADT perspective?…”

Section: The Role Of Schema In the Liking Of Antiheroesmentioning

confidence: 74%

Exploring How We Enjoy Antihero Narratives

2012

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Affective disposition theory (ADT), which nicely explains enjoyment of traditional hero narratives, appears somewhat limited in its ability to explain antihero narratives, primarily because of the moral complexity of the protagonists. Recent work proposes that viewers over time develop story schema that permit antihero enjoyment, despite character immorality. This article reports results from three studies that support this claim. Specifically, the findings indicate that moral judgment may be less important to antihero enjoyment than ADT would predict, that previous exposure to an antihero narrative alters responses to similar narratives, and that moral disengagement cues impact the enjoyment process. Ultimately, the studies offer empirical evidence of how antihero narratives are enjoyed differently than their traditional hero counterparts.

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Section: The Role Of Schema In the Liking Of Antiheroesmentioning

confidence: 74%

Exploring How We Enjoy Antihero Narratives

2012

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“…However, Raney () has argued that individuals are so motivated to enjoy entertainment content that they justify characters' bad behaviors in an effort to maintain character liking and thereby enjoyment. Recent research supports this proposition by showing that at times individuals may be willing to excuse the bad behaviors of protagonists through a process of moral disengagement (Hartmann & Vorderer, ; Krakowiak & Tsay, ; Shafer, 2009; Tsay & Krakowiak, ).…”

Section: Affective Disposition Theorymentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The proliferation of these characters has recently attracted the attention of media scholars (e.g., Eden, Grizzard, & Lewis, ; Krakowiak & Oliver, ; Krakowiak & Tsay, ; Krakowiak & Tsay‐Vogel, ; Raney & Janicke, ; Shafer & Raney, ; Tamborini, Weber, Eden, Bowman, & Grizzard, ; Tsay & Krakowiak, ). The main question asked by researchers is “Why are people drawn to these characters?” Affective disposition theory (ADT) provides a framework for understanding the process by which individuals derive enjoyment from entertainment content; however, its applicability to MACs may be limited (see Krakowiak & Oliver, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main question asked by researchers is “Why are people drawn to these characters?” Affective disposition theory (ADT) provides a framework for understanding the process by which individuals derive enjoyment from entertainment content; however, its applicability to MACs may be limited (see Krakowiak & Oliver, ). Research has also shown that moral disengagement (see Klimmt, Schmid, Nosper, Hartmann, & Vorderer, ; Krakowiak & Tsay‐Vogel, ; Raney, ), identification (see Raney & Janicke, ; Tsay & Krakowiak, ), transportation (see Krakowiak & Oliver, ), suspense (see Eden et al, ; Krakowiak & Oliver, ), and some personality traits (Krakowiak & Tsay, ; Raney, Schmid, Niemann, & Ellensohn, 2009) play a role in the enjoyment of these types of characters.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Dual Role of Morally Ambiguous Characters: Examining the Effect of Morality Salience on Narrative Responses

Krakowiak

Tsay-Vogel

2014

Hum Commun Res

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Using social comparison theory as a framework, 2 experiments examined the effects of a person's self-perception on responses to characters who display varying levels of morality. Study 1 found that individuals whose vices were made salient felt more positive affect and enjoyment after reading a narrative featuring a morally ambiguous character (MAC) than one featuring a bad character. Study 2 found that individuals whose virtues were made salient felt more positive affect and enjoyment after reading a narrative featuring a good character than one featuring a MAC. Findings thus indicate that morality salience is an important factor determining responses to different character types. Avenues for future research and theoretical implications of the dual role of MACs are discussed.

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“…In applying their own moral standards to narrative characters and their actions, audience members may use less strict standards with favorable characters than unfavorable characters. Several studies have found that people vary in their propensity to morally disengage, that tendency is linked to accepting immoral behavior by story characters, and that moral disengagement is linked to character liking and enjoyment of the story (Krakowiak & Tsay, ; Tsay & Krakowiak, ). Moral disengagement can be complex.…”

Section: Two Sequences In Forming Assessments About Characters and Acmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interaction of Affective Dispositions, Moral Judgments, and Intentionality in Assessing Narrative Characters: Rationalist and Intuitionist Sequences

Lee

Shapiro

2014

Commun Theor

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Several theories, including disposition‐based theories, depend on moral judgments about narrative characters' actions to describe how audiences understand characters in media narratives. However, more needs to be known about how moral judgments about characters' actions are made and affective dispositions toward characters are formed and change as a story unfolds. There is evidence that the intentionality underlying a character's actions is an important judgment that audiences use to understand a character's actions. We propose two sequences: a rationalist sequence in which perceived intentionality of a character's actions informs moral judgments and affective dispositions, and an intuitionist sequence in which affective dispositions are determined first and moral and intentionality judgments are made congruent with that judgment. Implications for narrative theories are discussed.

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The role of moral disengagement in the enjoyment of real and fictional characters

Cited by 40 publications

References 0 publications

Exploring How We Enjoy Antihero Narratives

Exploring How We Enjoy Antihero Narratives

The Dual Role of Morally Ambiguous Characters: Examining the Effect of Morality Salience on Narrative Responses

The Interaction of Affective Dispositions, Moral Judgments, and Intentionality in Assessing Narrative Characters: Rationalist and Intuitionist Sequences

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