1. Introduction
It has been argued that engagement
with the arts and humanities might
increase health professionals’
capacity to empathically listen to
patients and help them to understand
and handle their own reactions to
others so that their emotions can
support rather than hinde...
The role of fictional characters in
psychological exploration, personal
experiences, emotional responses
By kathleene quinn
Abstract
Reading fictional literature can be a way of learning about the world and
the human condition – a claim explicated by Schick (1982) and empirically
confirmed by Marsh, Butler, and Umanath (2012). An aspect of this is the
use of fiction for educational purposes. In this study, we navigate through
the eyes of the writer as the narrative tool, allowing us to enter into a new
dimension, particularly in the story of “In Time and with Water.”
Evaluating predicament and causes in a given plot while identifying the
struggles of emotional disorder through the lens of a character saw
benefits for theoretical understanding and self-awareness. Using fictional
characters strategically benefits the increase of learning environment,
stimulating in education setting. Our favorite fictional characters from
books and movies often display an impressive and wide range of
psychological attributes, both positive and negative. We admire their
resilience, courage, humanity, or justice, and we are intrigued by other
characters who show signs of personality disorders and mental illness—
psychopathy, narcissism, antisocial personality, paranoia, bipolar disorder,
and schizophrenia, among many other conditions. The aim of this
commentary is to explore the usage of literature in stories and films,
fictional characters in understanding psychological attributes as well as
personal human experiences. Other motivations of these characters that
include examples of both accurate and misleading depictions of
Tougaloo College Press | November-December 2020
, experience | the loo journal
psychological traits and conditions, enabling readers to distinguish
realistic from inaccurate depictions of human behavior.
PAGE 24
literary studies is an
increasing
interest in
using
fictional
literature
in the
a Kathleene Quinn (linguist, author, kquinn@tougaloo.eduand
visual artist. Her) is education of health
professionals, works magazines have in been the US
published and internationallyin various particularly
medical students. The A with continributor
1. Introduction fluences for in the culturChicago e, arts Tribune and design.and
It has been argued that engagement educational approach to medical Thrive
Global. She wrote Watching society disappear The
with the arts and humanities might
Hummingbird:from the lens. She humanities was
increase health professionals’
defined by Graham is specialist a project for
capacity to empathically listen to
manager the Office andof Communicationscommunications et
patients and help them to understand
al. (2016, p. 1334-1335) “as an
and handle their own reactions to at Tougaloo College.
activity that might
others so that their emotions can
improve empathy in medical students
support rather than hinder
by fostering skills such as the
engagement with patients
interpretation of narratives and the
(e.g., Charon, 2001; Lewis, 2011).
ability to manage situations where
Rolfe (2002) argued both that health
there is no single correct answer.”
professionals need the capacity to
Use of fictional literature is perhaps
identify with their clients on an
the most common way of including
affective level and that this capacity
arts and humanities in higher
might be increased through reading
education, but as Ousager and
fiction. Such reading experiences can
Johannessen (2010) noted, few
provide an understanding of others
studies have investigated the
that is unobtainable in scientifically
assumption that fictional literature
oriented texts. This perspective has
improves medical students’ and
been termed medical humanities
practitioners’ clinical skills.
(e.g., Charon, 2001; Chiapperino &
Yet, some compelling examples
Boniolo, 2014). In line with this, there
exist. Peters, GreenbergerRosovsky,
Tougaloo College Press | November-December 2020 PAGE 25
, experience | the loo journal
Crowder, Block and Moore (2000) found that almost ten years clinical
after graduation from Harvard Medical School, physicians who training to
had been educated in humanisticoriented medicine felt more increase
prepared to handle patients’ psychosocial difficulties than did our
physicians who had engaged in traditional medical education. understan
Moreover, while it is known that empathy tends to decrease ding of
during medical education, studies have shown that empathy neurologic
among al
medical students who engaged in a literary studies disorders.
2. Fiction in psychology education
to medicine, psychologists encounter
clients in complex situations with
ambiguous information and a need
for interpretation, making the ability
to understand concepts and relate
complex descriptions of reality to
medical humanities course did not theoretical models central to the
decrease as much as it did among clinical psychologist’s education (e.g.,
students in traditional medical Erikson & Erlandson, 2015). However,
education, and the engagement with there are few studies of the
humanities improved capacity for integration of fictional literature into
communication and cooperation clinical psychology education. An
(e.g., Arntfield, Slesar, Dickson, & exception is Janit, Hammock, and
Charon, 2013; Graham et al. 2016; Richardson (2011), who found that
Mangione et al., 2018). Fictional students in a course on abnormal
literature can also support theoretical psychology increased their
understanding, and Voss (2012) understanding of the subject by
argued that well-chosen fictional reading fictional narratives as case
descriptions of diseases could studies, to which they applied
supplement scientific literature and
The capabilities that can literature, are also
be augmented through relevant to clinical
reading fiction, psychology education.
according to the cited Here, Moghaddam
Tougaloo College Press | November-December 2020 PAGE 26
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