An Affective Turn for Public Relations

• In Event: Best Student Papers in Public Relations

Abstract

This paper suggests affect theory as a new theoretical approach for PR. I first review how affect and emotion have been treated in areas of PR literature including organizational theory, crisis communication, and activism. I argue that PR scholarship has generally treated affect and emotion interchangeably, simplistically, and often quantitatively. Further, PR research is often aimed at “fixing” "ugly feelings" (e.g., unhappiness, anger) rather than understanding them as symptoms of larger social problems or sources of productive agency. Next, I suggest affect theory, inspired by feminist and postmodern traditions, as an innovative perspective for understanding affect in PR research. Affect theory problematizes nomothetic treatments of affect as discrete, isolatable, and quantifiable, adding conceptual depth and complexity that can help scholars understand dimensions and functions of affect that otherwise escape us. I conclude with future research directions for an affective turn in public relations.

Author

• Amanda Kae Kennedy, University of Maryland