Rethinking the psychology of film melodrama: A theoretical framework integrating social appraisal and cultural psychology

Note: This paper only elaborates my own theoretical viewpoint behind an experimental work currently in progress. Based on this theoretical framework, I formulated a project proposal that might test the culture-appraisal-interaction model of emotion reactivity. I was subsequently awarded the Newton International Fellowship by the British Academy in 20173 to work with Dr Jeremy Skipper at the Dept. of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London. However, this paper is limited to describing the theory behind the research proposal. The actual project, as well as the experimental work involving data acquisition and data analyses (in progress), is beyond the scope of this paper, and not discussed here. Summary: Emotion transfer shapes the essential dynamics of film melodramatic techniques which conform to the audience preference of a particular culture. A central question that this paper would try to answer concerns the remarkable inter-cultural difference in taste when it comes to appreciating a particular film melodramatic form. I argue that this variability of preference across cultures might not solely be an obvious phenomenon of changing tastes but might be driven by an inherent behavioural-psychological predisposition deep-rooted in the emotion system of a specific culture. My proposed theoretical viewpoint enables us to examine the evolution of film melodramatic techniques across cultures from this aforementioned perspective and could offer a first of its kind empirical, psycho-behavioural experimental paradigm called Cross-cultural Emotion Elicitation through Film (CEE-through-Film) to test whether melodramatic techniques can influence the culture-appraisal-interaction model of emotion.