The Act of Despecho

In the first few weeks of the class, I really enjoyed learning about the history of telenovelas, from their historical and cultural context to their traditional and non-traditional styles. However, the thing that struck me the most was the term "despecho" and what it stands for. I could not get my mind off of the interesting way that telenovelas seemed to tap into this natural human desire to sometimes "wallow" in negative emotions. By reviewing what seemed like hundreds of literary works and songs by people like Luis Miguel and Carlos Gardel, I came to the realization that the concept of despecho must be much more than a mere telenovela exaggeration, it must be a reflection of mankind as a whole. 

Upon this realization, I decided to do some research to further my hunch that despecho is imbedded within every one of us. While I did come across a majority of Hispanic references, I also discovered a form of American dispecho as well. I found one article by the Frontiers of Psychology particularly interesting as they discussed our natural inclination to engage rather than disengage from stress. The article stated that by engaging in our stress and problems for a healthy period of time, we actually create a natural healing that would not occur if we were to immediately and automatically disengage all of the negative things that life throws at us. 

I am excited to continue my study of despecho as I begin my telenovela and as the class continues. Already, I have learned that there is some beauty to be seen in the way that we heal our pain, and that wallowing for a healthy amount of time often results in new growth. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5030286/