The Public Life of Emotions

Article


Squire, C. 2001. The Public Life of Emotions. International Journal of Critical Psychology.
AuthorsSquire, C.
Abstract

Emotionalism, the centring of social and political as well as personal judgements on individual feeling, seems to many to be an increasingly prevalent frame for thought and action. A variety of historical and cultural explanations are advanced to account for this situation, ranging from the conceptual contradictions of Enlightenment thinking through the power of popular media to the aftereffects of postmodernism. For some, emotionalism signifies cultural degeneration, depoliticisation and emotional impoverishment, while others view the change as psychologically and socially empowering and potentially democratising. This paper urges a limited acceptance of emotionalism as a historical shift, and a qualified optimism about it. The paper argues that emotionalism can act at times as a kind of pragmatic strategy for theorising areas of cultures that are otherwise ignored or repressed, while at other times emotionalism simply points to insufficiencies within mainstream cultural discourses. The paper also suggests that critical psychology is a particularly apt field in which to consider the reconfigurations of emotion being achieved by its increasingly public performance.

KeywordsEmotions; psychology; emotivism; emotionalisation; pragmatism; talkshows; selfhelp
JournalInternational Journal of Critical Psychology
ISSN1471-4167
Year2001
Accepted author manuscript
License
CC BY-ND
Web address (URL)http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/journals.html
http://hdl.handle.net/10552/98
Publication dates
PrintMar 2001
Publication process dates
Deposited17 Mar 2009
Additional information

Citation:
Squire, C. (2001) ‘The public life of emotions’, International Journal of Critical Psychology, 1 27-38..

Page range27-38
Permalink -

https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/869x6

Download files

  • 347
    total views
  • 232
    total downloads
  • 13
    views this month
  • 3
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Narrative Relations and Associations: Catherine Kohler Riessman’s Research Dialogism
Esin, C. and Squire, C. 2021. Narrative Relations and Associations: Catherine Kohler Riessman’s Research Dialogism. Narrative Works: Issues, Investigations & Interventions. 10, pp. 107-116.
Moral barriers to HIV prevention and care for gay and bisexual men: Challenges in times of conservatism in Brazil
da Silva, L. A. V., Duarte, F. M., Magno, L., Dourado, I. and Squire, C. 2021. Moral barriers to HIV prevention and care for gay and bisexual men: Challenges in times of conservatism in Brazil. Sociology of Health & Illness. 43 (2), pp. 424-440. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13230
LOLS@stigma: comedy as activism in the changing times of the HIV epidemic
Mulubale, S., Rohleder, P. and Squire, C. 2020. LOLS@stigma: comedy as activism in the changing times of the HIV epidemic. Critical Public Health. 31 (3), pp. 255-267. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1838445
The 'Jungle' is here the jungle is outside: university teaching in the Calais refugee camp
Squire, C. and Zaman, T. 2020. The 'Jungle' is here the jungle is outside: university teaching in the Calais refugee camp. in: Bhabha, J., Giles, W. and Mahomed, F. (ed.) A Better Future: The Role of Higher Education for Displaced and Marginalised People Cambridge University Press.
The Personal is Political: The Social Justice Functions of Stories
Mishler, E. and Squire, C. 2020. The Personal is Political: The Social Justice Functions of Stories. in: Squire, C. (ed.) Stories Changing Lives: Narratives and Paths toward Social Change Oxford University Press.
Researching Family Narratives
Phoenix, A., Brannen, J. and Squire, C. 2020. Researching Family Narratives. SAGE Publications.
Foreword to APPG Policy Report: The Missing Link: HIV and mental health
Campbell, T., Dalton, D., Fleming, P., Llorca, G., Mulubale, S., Rattue, M., Serle, F. and Squire, C. 2020. Foreword to APPG Policy Report: The Missing Link: HIV and mental health. The APPG on HIV and AIDS.
Migration, Racism and the Hostile Environment: Making the Case for the Social Sciences
Andrews, M., Arnot, M., Anthias, F., Ashe, S., Brah, A., Dona, G., Erel, U., Gidley, B., Humphris, R., Kofman, E., Mondon, A., Murji, K., Phoenix, A., Sigona, N., Squire, C., Targarona, N., Wemyss, G., Winter, A. and Yuval-Davis, N. 2020. Migration, Racism and the Hostile Environment: Making the Case for the Social Sciences. London Social Scientists Against The Hostile Environment.
The Long and Winding Road: Archiving and Re-Using Qualitative Data from 12 Research Projects Spanning 16 Years
Dodds, C., Keogh, P., Bourne, A., McDaid, L., Squire, C., Weatherburn, P. and Young, I. 2020. The Long and Winding Road: Archiving and Re-Using Qualitative Data from 12 Research Projects Spanning 16 Years. Sociological Research Online. 26 (2), pp. 269-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/1360780420924044
From Margin to Centre? Practising New Forms of European Politics and Citizenship in the Calais ‘Jungle’
Hall, T., Lounasmaa, A. and Squire, C. 2019. From Margin to Centre? Practising New Forms of European Politics and Citizenship in the Calais ‘Jungle’. in: Birey, T., Cantat, C., Maczynska, E. and Sevinin, E. (ed.) Challenging the Political Across Borders: Migrants’ and Solidarity Struggles Central European University. pp. 99-128
The Politics of Personal HIV Stories
Squire, C. 2016. The Politics of Personal HIV Stories. in: Goodson, Ivor, Antikainen, Ari, Sikes, Pat and Andrews, Molly (ed.) Routledge International Handbook on Narrative and Life History Routledge.
Life Stories
Squire, C. 2017. Life Stories. in: Maybin, Janet (ed.) Narrative, Language and Creativity Open University.
Ten Years After: An ‘Austerity Audit’ of Services and Living Conditions for People Living with HIV in the UK, a Decade after the Financial Crisis
Aduaka, C., Campbell, T., Clift, P., Forbes, K., Gilby, L., Goel, P., Gowar, C., Irtwange-Shikaru, R., Karibo, A., Llorca, G., McLeish, V., Mulubale, S., Paparini, S., Rattue, M., Rohleder, P., Squire, C., Thamm, W. and Welbourne, A. 2018. Ten Years After: An ‘Austerity Audit’ of Services and Living Conditions for People Living with HIV in the UK, a Decade after the Financial Crisis. HIV Psychosocial Network.
HIV Disclosure: Practices, Knowledges and Ethics
Squire, C. 2014. HIV Disclosure: Practices, Knowledges and Ethics. in: Davis, Mark and Manderson, Lenore (ed.) Disclosure in Health and Illness Routledge.
Narratives of Normativity and Permissible Transgression: Mothers' Blogs About Mothering, Family and Food in Resource-Constrained Times
Elliott, Heather, Squire, C. and O'Connell, Rebecca 2017. Narratives of Normativity and Permissible Transgression: Mothers' Blogs About Mothering, Family and Food in Resource-Constrained Times. Forum: Qualitative Social Research / Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung. 18 (1), p. Art. 7. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-18.1.2775
Narratives Across Media as Ways of Knowing
Elliott, Heather and Squire, C. 2017. Narratives Across Media as Ways of Knowing. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research. 18 (1), p. Art.17. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-18.1.2767
What is narrative research? Starting out
Squire, C. 2014. What is narrative research? Starting out. in: What is Narrative Research? London Bloomsbury Publishing.
Narratives as Responses to Interpersonal Violence: The Case of HIV
Squire, C., Wade, Allan and Gadd, David 2015. Narratives as Responses to Interpersonal Violence: The Case of HIV. in: Hydén, Margareta (ed.) Response Based Approaches to the Study of Interpersonal Violence Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 36-55
Partial Secrets
Squire, C. 2015. Partial Secrets. Current Anthropology. 56 (S12), pp. S201-S210.
Development of methodologies for researching online: the case of food blogs
Domingo, Myrrh, Kress, Gunther, O'Connell, Rebecca, Elliott, Heather, Squire, C., Jewitt, Casey and Adami, Elisabetta 2014. Development of methodologies for researching online: the case of food blogs. London National Centre for Research Methods.
Introduction: What is narrative research?
Squire, C., Andrews, Molly and Tamboukou, M. 2013. Introduction: What is narrative research? in: Doing narrative research SAGE.
From Experience-Centred to Socioculturally-Oriented Approaches to Narrative
Squire, C. 2013. From Experience-Centred to Socioculturally-Oriented Approaches to Narrative. in: Andrews, Molly, Squire, Corinne and Tamboukou, Maria (ed.) Doing Narrative Research London SAGE.
Why the three letters matter
Squire, C. 2013. Why the three letters matter. in: Squire, Corinne (ed.) Living with HIV and ARV: three letter lives Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 3-11
Reading the rereadings: Valerie Walkerdine responds to the commentaries on ‘Video Replay’
Walkerdine, Valerie and Squire, C. 2010. Reading the rereadings: Valerie Walkerdine responds to the commentaries on ‘Video Replay’. Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society. 15 (4), pp. 412-417.
Press replay – Introduction to special section on rereading Valerie Walkerdine's ‘Video replay: Families, films and fantasy’
Squire, C. 2010. Press replay – Introduction to special section on rereading Valerie Walkerdine's ‘Video replay: Families, films and fantasy’. Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society. 15 (4), pp. 376-384.
What is narrative?
Squire, C. 2012. What is narrative? National Centre for Research Methods.
Narratives, connections and social change
Squire, C. 2012. Narratives, connections and social change. Narrative Inquiry. 22 (1), pp. 50-68.
Narratives and the gift of the future
Squire, C. 2012. Narratives and the gift of the future. Narrative Works: Issues, Investigations & Interventions. 2 (1), pp. 67-82.
Visual Autobiographies in East London: Narratives of Still Images, Interpersonal Exchanges, and Intrapersonal Dialogues
Esin, C. and Squire, C. 2013. Visual Autobiographies in East London: Narratives of Still Images, Interpersonal Exchanges, and Intrapersonal Dialogues. Forum: Qualitative Social Research. 14 (2).
'You Are Here': Visual Autobiographies, Cultural-Spatial Positioning, and Resources for Urban Living
Squire, C., Esin, C. and Burman, Chila 2013. 'You Are Here': Visual Autobiographies, Cultural-Spatial Positioning, and Resources for Urban Living. Sociological Research Online. 18 (3), p. 1ff..
Narrative Analysis: The Constructionist Approach
Esin, C., Fathi, Mastoureh and Squire, C. 2013. Narrative Analysis: The Constructionist Approach. in: Lick, Uwe (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis SAGE.
Experiences of people living with HIV
Squire, C. and Daniel, Lumka 2009. Experiences of people living with HIV. in: HIV in South Africa 25 Years On: Psychosocial Perspectives Springer. pp. 255-272
Particularity, potentiation, citizenship and pragmatism
Squire, C. and Davis, Mark 2010. Particularity, potentiation, citizenship and pragmatism. in: HIV Treatment and Prevention Technologies in International Perspective Palgrave Macmillan.
HIV Technologies
Squire, C. and Davis, Mark 2010. HIV Technologies. in: Davis, Mark and Squire, Corinne (ed.) HIV Treatment and Prevention Technologies in International Perspective Palgrave Macmillan.
Technologies of treatment: Scaling up ART in the Western Cape, South Africa
Squire, C. and Abdullah, Fareed 2010. Technologies of treatment: Scaling up ART in the Western Cape, South Africa. in: HIV Treatment and Prevention Technologies in International Perspective Palgrave Macmillan.
Being naturalised, being left behind: the HIV citizen in the era of treatment possibility
Squire, C. 2010. Being naturalised, being left behind: the HIV citizen in the era of treatment possibility. Critical Public Health.
Shifting the focus: sequential methods of analysis with qualitative data
Simons, Lucy, Lathlean, Judith and Squire, C. 2008. Shifting the focus: sequential methods of analysis with qualitative data. Qual Health Res.
Can an HIV positive woman find true love? Romance in the stories of women living with HIV
Squire, C. 2003. Can an HIV positive woman find true love? Romance in the stories of women living with HIV. Feminism & Psychology. 13 (1), pp. 73-100.
Reading Narratives
Squire, C. 2005. Reading Narratives. Group Analysis. 38 (1), pp. 91-107.