Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies
Narratives represent storied ways of knowing and communicating, thus, have always been a key feature in media and communication research. In our contribution, a concept to explain sustainability-related cognitive dissonances as well as a new version of a narrative inquiry is introduced to capture re...
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doaj-6dbcac9ce471483383f7348b91dd48562020-11-25T03:53:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2020-02-01510.3389/fcomm.2020.00008506797Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization StrategiesFranzisca Weder0Amornpan Tungarat1Stella Lemke2School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaDepartment of Media and Communication Studies, University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, AustriaInstitute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, GermanyNarratives represent storied ways of knowing and communicating, thus, have always been a key feature in media and communication research. In our contribution, a concept to explain sustainability-related cognitive dissonances as well as a new version of a narrative inquiry is introduced to capture reflections on experiences of sustainability and individual assessments of (un)sustainable behavior over time. We perceive storytelling as an action, as act of problematization which uncovers cognitive dissonances and coping strategies. Using Rory's Story Cubes® (dice with pictograms), we stimulated 35 interviewees from various cultural backgrounds (Asian, European, Anglo-American) to “story” sustainability-related life events into order and meaning. Our evaluation of the interviews1 focused on the story as a whole, which was then linked to the individual biographical background to understand motives for and moral conflicts about (un)sustainable behavior. In the paper we discuss and critique this theoretical concept and the related innovative inquiry form in the area of environmental communication research to gain a better understanding of individual perceptions of sustainability, moral dissonances, and cognitive friction occurring in relation to sustainability-related issues.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00008/fullsustainability communicationcognitive dissonancecognitive frictionstorytellingnarrative interviewstriangulation |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Franzisca Weder Amornpan Tungarat Stella Lemke |
spellingShingle |
Franzisca Weder Amornpan Tungarat Stella Lemke Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies Frontiers in Communication sustainability communication cognitive dissonance cognitive friction storytelling narrative interviews triangulation |
author_facet |
Franzisca Weder Amornpan Tungarat Stella Lemke |
author_sort |
Franzisca Weder |
title |
Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies |
title_short |
Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies |
title_full |
Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies |
title_fullStr |
Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sustainability as Cognitive “Friction”: A Narrative Approach to Understand the Moral Dissonance of Sustainability and Harmonization Strategies |
title_sort |
sustainability as cognitive “friction”: a narrative approach to understand the moral dissonance of sustainability and harmonization strategies |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Communication |
issn |
2297-900X |
publishDate |
2020-02-01 |
description |
Narratives represent storied ways of knowing and communicating, thus, have always been a key feature in media and communication research. In our contribution, a concept to explain sustainability-related cognitive dissonances as well as a new version of a narrative inquiry is introduced to capture reflections on experiences of sustainability and individual assessments of (un)sustainable behavior over time. We perceive storytelling as an action, as act of problematization which uncovers cognitive dissonances and coping strategies. Using Rory's Story Cubes® (dice with pictograms), we stimulated 35 interviewees from various cultural backgrounds (Asian, European, Anglo-American) to “story” sustainability-related life events into order and meaning. Our evaluation of the interviews1 focused on the story as a whole, which was then linked to the individual biographical background to understand motives for and moral conflicts about (un)sustainable behavior. In the paper we discuss and critique this theoretical concept and the related innovative inquiry form in the area of environmental communication research to gain a better understanding of individual perceptions of sustainability, moral dissonances, and cognitive friction occurring in relation to sustainability-related issues. |
topic |
sustainability communication cognitive dissonance cognitive friction storytelling narrative interviews triangulation |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00008/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT franziscaweder sustainabilityascognitivefrictionanarrativeapproachtounderstandthemoraldissonanceofsustainabilityandharmonizationstrategies AT amornpantungarat sustainabilityascognitivefrictionanarrativeapproachtounderstandthemoraldissonanceofsustainabilityandharmonizationstrategies AT stellalemke sustainabilityascognitivefrictionanarrativeapproachtounderstandthemoraldissonanceofsustainabilityandharmonizationstrategies |
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