Decisional Regret Theory: Reducing the Anxiety About Uncertain Outcomes During Group Decision Making Through Shared Counterfactual Storytelling     

Sunwolf 《Communication Studies》2013,64(2):107-134

People want to live in a predictable world, yet regularly face uncertain outcomes from decision choices. Here, a decision-making theory of communication is proposed. Faced with decisions, people experience anxiety as they anticipate choice-regret. The communicative dynamic of Decisional Regret Theory (DERT) is the production, sharing, and reconstruction of predecisional imaginary narratives that allow alternative decisional outcomes to be anticipated. DERT predicts a type of shared communication (counterfactual storytelling) under specific circumstances (anticipation of making a meaningful decision). It further predicts listener responses: (a) reproducing the story, (b) altering the story, (c) creating an alternative story, or (d) disconfirming the story. Exemplars of counterfactual communication during jury decision making are offered, together with a model describing the emergence of group counterfactual storytelling.  相似文献   

Being left out: rejecting outsiders and communicating group boundaries in childhood and adolescent peer groups     

Sunwolf  Laura Leets 《Journal of Applied Communication Research》2004,32(3):195-223

Although communication scholars have examined adult group processes, they have paid little attention to the peer group experiences of children and adolescents. Successfully gaining entry to peer groups is significant, in that rejection in childhood affects self-concept, social skills, and school successes. Guided by a bona fide groups perspective, this study collected over 600 adolescent accounts of group rejection. Narrative accounts revealed five strategies peer groups used to communicate rejection (Ignoring, Disqualifying, Insulting, Blaming, and Creating New Rules). Rejection was stressful for observers as well as rejectees, with females, Caucasians, and regularly-excluded students reporting highest levels. Females and those frequently rejected reported the most stress when observing the rejection of others. Specific interventions are discussed for primary and middle-school teachers to stimulate prosocial group inclusion.  相似文献