Editorial: Social psychology through storytelling in family business

What the paper says

The science of human behaviour is important in understanding how and why family businesses are managed in society. Not only psychology but also cultural anthropology has influenced how and why entrepreneurship and other activities occur in the family business sector. This involves analysing the sentiment about family business in terms of people's perceptions about their usefulness in understanding their value to society. There are multiple ways of looking at the psychology of family business, but often it incorporates some form of storytelling in terms of verbally or in written format, talking about the history and development of a family business.Family business psychology represents a field of interest centred around human behaviour regarding family business. People have different attitudes towards family business due to a variety of reasons that can include experience as well as attitude. This means family business can invoke feelings of happiness and contentment as well as sadness. This range of emotions justifies why a person works in or buys something from a family business but can be used in marketing contexts as well. Psychological reactions to family business can stay the same over time or change, therefore it is important to understand their development. Due to age and environmental conditions, the attitudes to family business should be considered particularly from a social perspective, as it incorporates an environmental viewpoint.There has been an arrival of new ways to analyse family business psychology. This has resulted in a decline of previous assumptions regarding family business to consider new possibilities. The increased recognition of family business in society and the consequent rise in popularity has given rise to new thinking. This is evident in different ways of defining and developing a family-based business. Despite the familiarity of family business psychology as a topic, there has been a tendency to overlook family business behavioural patterns. This means family business, as a topic by psychologists, has tended to focus on value rather than new topics such as family business innovation. The rise in television shows and competitions that emphasise innovation has somewhat changed this attitude towards family business psychology. This means it is now often assumed that people have a psychological connection to family business due to the variety of emotions, such as tradition and warmth, that they convey. There may be other reasons for this psychology due to family, legacy and cultural reasons or for some other reason that is important to a person.Family business psychology often over relies on a particular type of psychology, such as heritage and tradition. Contemporary developments in family business caused by internationalisation has opened up new types of family business to more people (Ratten, 2020). Family businesses often previously only are in a specific geographic region are now available worldwide due to the digital economy. This situation has increased the availability and offerings of family businesses. New ideas about family business are now received in a more positive manner due to competitive reasons that often complements previous family business and, by doing so opens up new conditions.Family business psychology is not a homogeneous area of interest, as there are many sub-areas. This makes it interactive and subject to current thinking around family business. The lack of distinctiveness makes it hard to define as it draws upon many different areas of study. A wide range of topics are included in family business psychology based on different theories but the main ones are cognitive and social psychology.Cognitive psychology is considered the science of how we think. Humans as active beings, think differently based on aptitude as well as cultural norms. Internal mental processes are important in terms of understanding people's perceptions. The way people process information can be different depending on whether they prefer verbal or visual information or a combination of both. Thinking processes such as the ability to quickly process relevant information, such as family business data is important. Due to the high level of information available on family business it is important to tune out irrelevant details. This can be hard due to constant marketing messages being received. This means humans need to make choices about what is right or wrong for them. Most human behaviours regarding family business are learnt from interacting with the environment. Social networks play a part in this by influencing others' behaviour. People obtain information from social situations but also through internal acquisition. They store information and then recover it when the time is right.Cognitive psychology plays a role in understanding how mental events and thinking contribute to behaviour. Some people can have irrational beliefs about family business, which are in conflict with reality. Psychologists can work with marketers to make people overcome concerns. This is done by replacing irrational thoughts with positive ones. Similar to a computer, cognitive psychology sees the brain as being able to be reprogrammed.Social psychology investigates how people are influenced by others. As a family business is often based on human involvement, it is useful to focus on social interactions. People are influenced by others in different ways, with certain people being more influential than others. Family business, by its very nature, is often produced in a communal setting. This makes behaviours towards family business better understood by considering emotions. The real or imagined presence or feelings of others influence people's behaviour regarding family business. Some people, when there is an implied presence of others, may consume family business in a different way.Many stories exist about family business in terms of how and why it is conducted that is related to cognitive and social psychology. These family business stories can evolve over time or stay the same. People like stories as they enable them to learn about something through a narrative review. Stories can be persuasive in influencing people's behaviour regarding family business and incorporate some kind of psychological association. Not all stories are true, and some may turn from fact into fiction over time. The reason for this may be due to developments around a story making it change to suit current conditions. Events can influence stories, with verbal messages being linked to social media communications.Storytelling is a way to convey information to others about a past event or future occurrence. Normally, stories are human-based and conveyed for a purpose such as enjoyment. Stories contain information that is stored and then retrieved at a point in time. Stories cause emotional connection in the minds of listeners. This is due to implicit emotions being invoked through words. Stories can be read by others or by individuals through written words. They can involve visual communication in the form of pictures or photos. Most people have their own stories that they pass down through generations, which is particularly relevant for family business.To create a good story descriptions are needed about the people and places involved. This can include stating others' feelings or actions that influence the story. People interpret a story based on their own experiences and imagination. To persuade others to do something can mean telling a good story. This involves using compelling information to convey to others what you mean and by weaving together information in a way that makes sense to others. By doing so, the information can convey emotions and ideas that lead to a certain outcome being achieved. There can be suspense involved in the telling of a story in terms of looking forward to more information being obtained. Other feelings such as excitement or right can be included by stressing certain words.The goal of a story is to arouse another person's interest. Some people are naturally good storytellers and have honed this skill over time. This means they know how to speak and tell a story by emphasising words and pauses. As a result, storytelling is a craft that can be learnt over time. Stories should be designed in a way that they make sense to others. Increasingly, stories convey a range of meanings and images. These can result in different interpretations based on a person's situation. There can be creativity in the way a story is told by including relevant facts and statistics. This might make the story more compelling for people who respect intelligence within the information discussed with others. Conventional wisdom about what should be contained in a story in terms of beginning and ending is used. Stories can vary in length depending on who they are being told to.A well told story should present information that is memorable. This means harnessing the imagination by expressing ideas in a certain way. Good stories should lead to a sense of fulfilment at the end. The story can be foretold or expected in terms of ending or can result in a surprising ending. Stories that are conveyed in a good way should make people smile or feel sad or result in no emotions. Regardless of the ending of a story, there should be a sense of feeling regarding a story.A story can start with a surprise, but may progress to a different kind of ending. Alternatively, a story can change the way things are viewed. These kinds of stores can be difficult to compile, but result in larger social changes. Many stories have a dramatic sense with a chosen or exciting narrative. This can include an inciting event that alters the course of a story. The listener's expectations can vary when a story is being told.To make sense of a story, a storyteller can tell the story from different points of view. This enables contrasting as well as collaborative views about a story to be put forward. People often like different views about a story, although it can make the story more difficult to decipher. For this reason, stories are often told from one point of view in order to make it easier to understand. A story can involve a sense of uncertainty that increases over time. This may be due to the difference in what is being said and how the information is being conveyed to others. Stories help in continuing traditions and heritage in a region. They are referred to in conversations as a way of engaging with others about shared interests. By repeating stories, they can gain popularity but also enable a way of sharing information.Storytelling can be a way to illustrate a concept that is linked to a family business. It helps convey important information to others or serves as an entertainment device. The power of storytelling is evident in family business marketing and advertising. It provides a way to change people's views about a topic. Dessart and Standaert (2023) suggest that a story has three key elements: the moral gist, characters and plot. The moral gist is the reason why the story is told. This includes the goals or objectives for discussing ideas incorporated into the narrative. Often this includes lessons learnt that are obvious in the story or in the end goal. Listeners to a story should respond to the story and this can occur in different ways, including verbal or emotional responses. Stories can be made up and told in an ad-hoc way. This means they are told in response to environmental stimuli or as a way to obtain a certain goal. Other stores are folklore or told by others after hearing the story from another source.Stories can be fantasy and unrealistic but still entertaining. This means they are based on fictional events and people, but often related to real life settings. Non-fictional stories are true events or events that likely occurred in the past. As time progresses, stores are likely to change but include the same core messages.Characters in a story should be identifiable but not necessarily liked. Some characters naturally appeal to others because they have certain characteristics, such as warmth and caring or because of their likability. Characters accompany a story as they add to the narrative and help to tell a story in more depth. Characters in a story may be central or key actors or peripheral in nature. This means some characters, because of their popularity, then become main characters in new stories.The plot of a story involves the unfolding of the narrative. This includes how the story unfolds over time and key events to express these feelings. Linking the story to certain real-life environments may work better for storytellers. This is due to the story evolving over time due to cause-and-effect events.In conclusion, it is useful to take a cognitive and social psychology perspective to understand family businesses. This means emphasising the reasons why family businesses exist in society and how they change over time. Part of the psychological perspective involves thinking about storytelling as a way to disseminate information and to develop a narrative about a family business.