The code of joy: children’s dialogically and culturally shaped moments of joy in the daily lives of day care centres

Authors

• Satu Karjalainen Oulun yliopisto
• Anna-Maija Puroila

Abstract

The article focuses on children’s shared and co-narrated joy in the context of day care centers. The article does not approach joy from a viewpoint of individual psychology but rather as a relational phenomenon that takes place in between humans. The theoretical and methodological framework draws on Erving Goffman’s frame analysis, Martin Buber’s dialogical philosophy, and a narrative approach. The research material consists of video-observations and diary notes gathered in groups of children between two and six years. The study shows the emerging and multi-level nature of children’s shared joy. On the one hand, children’s joy appears as unexpected, surprising, and dialogically constructed. On the other hand, cultural norms and rules shape children’s moments of joy. The code of joy appears as children’s capacity to balance between the two extremes.