Perceptions and influences of literature on psychological processes and dispositions in contemporary society
Abstract
Although both literature and psychology study human nature, they are very rarely interdisciplinary connected. The reasons for this lie in their different theoretical focuses and methodological approaches. This paper aims to point out that efforts to bring these complementary approaches to related topics closer together could be beneficial for both disciplines. Recently, there has been a lot of work done globally on intensifying this cooperation. Literary works, through narration, explore motives, feelings, thoughts, and desires, analyzing the inner world of characters, deeper layers of their personality, and inner dilemmas - all of which psychology also deals with by studying real people and trying to understand their behavior. Furthermore, in the reading process, literature can be understood as a simulation of reality to encourage readers to better understand themselves and others, thus achieving a more meaningful life with fewer conflicts. The connection between literary works and their effects on readers is mediated by a series of psychological traits such as openness, immersion, values, or motivation. Literary works, especially in times of great social upheaval, as has been the case in Serbia over the past 30 years, can be a platform for profound and substantive discussions on issues such as the importance of social identities. Contemporary literature, in Serbia, very diverse in topics and approaches, will remain a significant part of the culture of our time. The potential of psychologists in encouraging people to better understand themselves through literature and achieve more benefits is far greater than it currently seems.
References
Agrawal, S., Simon, A., Bech, S., Bærentsen, K., Forchhammer, S. (2020). Defining Immersion: Literature Review and Implications for Research on Audiovisual Experiences. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 68. 404-417. 10.17743/jaes.2020.0039.
Altun, M. (2023). Literature and identity: Examine the role of literature in shaping individual and cultural identities. International Journal of Social Sciences and Educational Studies, 10(3), 381-385. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v10i3p381
Aronson, E., Vilson, T., Akert, R. (2013). Socijalna psihologija. Mate.
Bilandzic, H., Sukalla, F., Schnell, C., Hastall, M. R., & Busselle, R. W. (2019). The narrative engageability scale: A multidimensional trait measure for the propensity to become engaged in a story. International Journal of Communication, 13, 801–832.
Brewton, V. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Pristupljeno 22.10.2023. na https://iep.utm.edu/literary/
Brown, R. (2000). Social Identity Theory: Past achievements, current problems and future challenges. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30(6), 745–778. https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-0992(200011/12)30:6<745::AID-EJSP24>3.0.CO;2-O
Chipman, S. F., ed. (2017). Part I. The new computational psychology: cognitive architectures and the computational modeling of cognition. The Oxford handbook of cognitive science. Oxford library of psychology. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199842193.001.0001.
Djikic, M., & Oatley, K. (2014). The art in fiction: From indirect communication to changes of the self. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 8, 498–505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0037999
Djikic, M., Oatley, K., & Carland, M. (2012). Genre or artistic merit: The effect of literature on personality. Scientific Study of Literature, 2, 25–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/ssol.2.1.02dji
Djikic, M., Oatley, K., & Moldoveanu, M. (2013). Reading other minds: Effects of literature on empathy. Scientific Study of Literature, 3, 28–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/ssol.3.1.06dji
Djikic, M., Oatley, K., Zoeterman, S., & Peterson, J. (2009). On being moved by art: How reading fiction transforms the self. Creativity Research Journal, 21, 24 –29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10400410802633392
Dubourg, E., Thouzeau, V., Bonard, C., & Baumard, N., et al. (2024). The cognitive foundations of fictional stories. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/me6bz
Đorđević, M. (1996). Književnost populističkog talasa. U: N. Popov (ur.) Srpska strana rata. Trauma i katarza u istorijskom pamćenju. Republika Beograd, Vikom grafik Novi Beograd i Građanska čitaonica Zrenjanin
Freud, S. (1928). Dostoevsky and parricide. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 9, 1-29.
Hanfstingl, B., Arzenšek, A., Apschner, J., & Gölly, K. I. (2022). Assimilation and accommodation: A systematic review of the last two decades. European Psychologist, 27(4), 320–337. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000463
Havelka, N. (1992). Socijalna percepcija. Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.
Ilić, S. (2006). Opsada srpske književnosti. Juče, danas, sutra. Pristupljeno 27.10.2023. na https://www.elektrobeton.net/mikser/opsada-srpske-knjizevnosti-juce-danas-sutra/?highlight=Opsada%20crkve
James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology (Vol. 1). Macmillian.
Jerkov, A. Romani su kao simfonije. Pristupljeno 25.10.2023. na https://jugmedia.rs/romani-su-kao-simfonije
Kanić, M. (2013). Vizantija u srpskoj postmodernističkoj prozi: Borislav Pekić, Milorad Pavić, Goran Petrović i Radoslav Petković. Doktorska disertacija. Filološki fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu.
Kidd, D. C., & Castano, E. (2013). Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind. Science, 342(6156), 377–380. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239918
Kruglanski, A. W., & Fishman, S. (2009). The need for cognitive closure. In M. R. Leary & R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior (pp. 343–353). The Guilford Press.
Kunda, Z. (1990). The case for motivated reasoning. Psychological Bulletin, 108(3), 480–498. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.108.3.480
Mar, R. A. & Oatley, K. (2008). The function of fiction is the abstraction and simulation of social experience. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 173-192.
McCrae, R. R., Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 81–90. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.1.81.
Nenadić, F., Vejnović, D., & Marković, S. (2019). Subjective experience of poetry: Latent structure and differences between experts and non-experts. Poetics, 73, 100-113.
Oatley, K. (1999). Why fiction may be twice as true as fact: Fiction as cognitive and emotional simulation. Review of General Psychology, 3(2), 101–117.
Oatley, K. (2016). Fiction: Simulation of social worlds. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(8), 618–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.06.002
Oatley, K., & Djikic, M. (2018). Psychology of Narrative Art. Review of General Psychology, 22(2), 161-168. https://doi.org/10.137/gpr0000113
Pantić, M. (1999). Aleksandrijski sindrom 3. Matica Srpska.
Pavel, T. (2010) Immersion and distance in fictional worlds. Itinéraires, 1, 99-109. https://doi.org/10.4000/itineraires.2183
Petrović, N. (2007). Perspektive postkonfliktne modernizacije. U: Cipek, T. & Milosavljević, O. (ur.). Kultura sjećanja 1918. Povijesni lomovi i svladavanje prošlosti. Disput.
Petrović, N. (2011). Elementi međukulturne psihologije. Srpski geneaološki centar.
Petrović, N. (2018). Socijalne reprezentacije prošlosti. Socijalno-psihološke osnove i istraživanja. Institut za psihologiju.
Petrović, N. (2023). Socijalni aspekti. U: Marinković, B. (Ur.), Zapis Holokausta. Druga generacija (str. 61-86). Jevrejska opština Beograd.
Petrović, N. & A. Lazić (2019). Između zvanične istine i ličnog sećanja: Usmene istorije civila i vojnika o post-jugoslovenskim ratovima 1991–1995. Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne,16, 227-241.
Petrović, N. & Dulanović, M. (2011). Dometi i ograničenja ličnih sećanja u osvetljavanju traumatične prošlosti. U: Cipek, T. (ur.). Kultura sjećanja 1991. Povijesni lomovi i svladavanje prošlosti. Disput.
Radford, F.L., & Wilson, R.R. (1982). Some Phases of the Jungian Moon: Jung’s Influence on Modern Literature. ESC: English Studies in Canada 8(3), 311-332. https://doi.org/10.1353/esc.1982.0034.
Radonjić, S. (1992) Psihologija učenja. Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.
Ryan, M.-L. (2001). Narrative as virtual reality: Immersion and interactivity in literature and electronic media. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Sinclair, M. (1908). The Novels of Dorothy Richardson. The Egoist, Vol. 5, No. 4, 57-59.
Sperduti, M., Arcangeli, M., Makowski, D., & Piolino, P., et al. (2016). The paradox of fiction: Emotional response toward fiction and the modulatory role of self-relevance. Acta Psychologica, 165, 53-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.02.003
Steele, C.M., Spencer, S.J., & Lynch, M. (1993). Self-image resilience and dissonance: The role of affirmational resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 885-896.
Turanjanin, B. (2014). Intertekstualno raslojavanje romana “Opsada crkve Sv. Spasa” (kontekst “Biblije” i srednjovjekovne književnosti). Doktorska disertacija. Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Novom Sadu.
Willis, I. (2021, January 22). Reception Theory, Reception History, Reception Studies. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. Pristupljeno 3.12.2024. na https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-1004
Authors retain the copyright of the published papers and grant to the publisher the nonexclusive right to publish the article, to be cited as its original publisher in case of re-use, and to distribute it in all forms and media. The published articles will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-SA). It is allowed to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and remix, transform and build upon it for any purpose, even commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original
author(s), a link to the license is provided, it is indicated if changes were made and the new work is distributed under the same license as the original. Authors are permitted to deposit the author’s publisher’s version (PDF) of their work in an institutional repository, subject-based repository, author’s personal website (including social networking sites, such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, etc.), and/or departmental website at any time after publication, with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.