Date Approved

2017

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department or School

Communication, Media and Theatre Arts

Committee Member

Dennis O’Grady

Committee Member

Tsai-Shan Shen

Committee Member

Doris Fields

Abstract

Memorable narratives are highly under-studied in the world of family communication. By understanding what memorable messages entail and what a story is, we can bridge that gap and explain a narrative. In this study, 13 participants were recruited and interviewed. Only participants over the age of 18 years were recruited. The ages of the participants ranged from 22 and 49 years old. Seven of the 13 participants identified as female, and the remaining 6 participants identified as male. Of the 13 participants, 11 identified as Caucasian, 1 identified as African-American, and 1 identified as Asian. From these participants, three themes were gathered: affection, independence, and the world is cruel. From these narratives that were told, a better understanding of how and why narratives are so memorable was obtained.

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