Doing Humor, Seriously!: Conflict Management of Mother and Child through the Humor in the Stories of Lupus Kecil

Abstract

Anchored by the findings of previous studies regarding the benefits of humor in communication, interaction and relationships, especially in the family context, this study explores the types of humor used by the mother in the Little Lupus stories to manage conflicts with her children. This research uses five stories from the Lupus Kecil (Little Lupus) series published during 1990-2000s. Data is identified, classified, and interpreted in the framework of children’s and humor studies. This study demonstrates how the mother used an affiliative, aggressive, and self-enhancing humor during conflicts with her children. Using these three styles of humor, facilitate better communication between mother and children during conflict management. This study has important implications in the context of the family relationship for a mother’s developing and using a sense of humor when managing conflict with her children.
 Keywords: affiliative humor, aggressive humor, self-enhancing humor, conflict management of mother and children