ABSTRACT
Danielle I. Szlawieniec-Haw uses her groundbreaking research into professional actors’ lived experiences of representing dolesse to look outside the entertainment industry throughout this chapter. She suggests that the level of overlap between the themes of her study and research conducted with non-arts professionals indicates that there is a larger human experience of engaging with narratives and/or images of dolesse. Given this, she turns her attention to encounters with narratives and/or images of dolesse in personal settings. Employing a case study, Szlawieniec-Haw outlines current stigma and judgement attached to the consequences of these encounters. She then uses her research to challenge contemporary North American approaches to the consequences of engaging with narratives and/or images of dolesse. She closes the chapter with a discussion of how all individuals’ health and wellness could be supported—and the impact this could have on compassion and empathy.
