Crying as Communication in Domestic Helper Narratives: Towards a Social Psychology of Crying in Discourse

Most research on adult crying is based on questionnaires or laboratory studies, and few studies have looked at crying in discourse. This article reports on a study of life stories of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong. The stories, which were recorded in a church shelter, are trauma narratives characterised by repeated crying. The article provides first, an overview of the themes that led the women to cry in the 89 crying events that were identified, and second, a discourse analysis of six selected excerpts. The analyses suggest that crying events should be seen as discursive accomplishments among group members. The article also provides evidence of a link between crying and catharsis, and it questions the common assumption that crying is a desirable form of emotional expression. Finally, the article discusses some possible functions of crying and proposes the first step towards a social psychological theory of crying in discourse.