In this paper, the authors reflect on observations of three UK-based participatory policymaking workshops to examine how emotions both informed and were informed by citizens’ sensemaking schemata – or “frames”. They discuss how framing and emotions were mutually reinforcing in some instances, but also identify where this interconnected amplification did not arise.
Sensemaking frames and emotions are closely intertwined: this has useful implications for helping citizens build enthusiasm for public policy concerns.
Photo: insung yoon / Unsplash
A “frame” is a sensemaking device, which informs how an individual looks at a situation. “Framing” is the application of a frame to interpret that situation. Seen through the frame of safety, for example, an old tree could then be framed as dangerous and in need of felling. However that same tree, seen through the frame of beauty, could be framed as aesthetically pleasing and therefore in need of conservation support.
In this paper, the authors examine the relationship between emotions and framing, and their impact on participatory policymaking. The authors set out empirical support for the claims that emotions serve as evaluation devices. They assess:
The researchers observed three workshops which took place in different UK cities: Milton Keynes, Cardiff and York. The workshops aimed to gain citizens’ input into the development of public policy for urban treescapes in these locations.
The team found that frames were amplified and emotions were reinforced through the workshops. They also found that participants with differing frames were able to adopt, extend, or bridge from theirs to others, especially where emotions arose in participants. Different frames could also lead to the “separation” of participants, where the introduction of new frames did not change their perspectives, or that the impact of differing frames was inconsistent. To illustrate this, they propose a chain of interlinked mechanisms that explains how the expression of frames and emotions leads to the amplification, reinforcement, or separation of those feelings and perspectives.
The authors concluded that emotions, as well as frames, are sensemaking devices. During participatory policymaking activities, citizens variously express, strengthen and modify their frames and emotions. These shifts can help citizens develop stronger and more emotionally significant frames, thereby building greater enthusiasm for public concerns.
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