Emotions and under-insurance 163
INTERVIEWER: How come you don’t have confidence in them though?
CASS: Well I heard so many stories about people who now have insurance
but then they said oh no but you didn’t read the fine print. I suppose I
really […] should go into the details […] (but) you do it the first time and
then, yeah you just keep repaying.
While participants above relay some element of emotional reflexivity in
their understanding of the sector prior to the interview, this dialogue
with Cass demonstrates how emotions in the moment inform her decisions to stay insured. Like Booth and Harwood’s (2016, p. 49) ‘insurantial
moment’ where ‘in different contexts, different rationales are applied’ to
deal with specific ‘uncertainties,’ Cass moves from considering withdrawing from insurance, to confirming her desire to hold a policy based on
different risk contexts.
Emotions and risk-taking in non-insurance
Insurance is emotional. However, thus far the chapter has focused on
areas where those emotions are filled with negative feelings, especially
towards the insurers themselves. In this section, I want to relate some of
the feelings of complacency and optimism but also excitement that emerge
in discussions around risks and how this relates to insurance. When it
comes to risk assessment, not all share in the type of dread that Beck
(1992) suggests. There are those, as identified by Lupton (2013), that draw
on risks to heighten their emotional states. In reflecting on the risks of
living in the Cairns region, for instance, one mid-twenties male renter,
Fredrick, relates that although cyclones are a major threat, he feels they
are also just a bit of ‘fun.’ When pressed why he feels that way, he adds,
‘you go to your friends who lives in a good house and get on the piss (drink
alcohol).’ Fredrick is referring here to gatherings called ‘cyclone parties’
where people come together, bunker down in a solid structure and drink
together. He relates further,
It’s just there’s a buzz about the place (when a cyclone approaches).
When it’s happening. I’ve always been told oh, it’s been alright, you go
to a small room of the house and you sit it out, take the windows off.
There’s a social solidarity during, before and after a cyclone which is
exciting. As you know we don’t have too much of that quite often.
Fredrick’s feelings are punctuated by emotions of excitement. These are
derived from his own, and others, past experiences where the thrill of taking time off normal duties and sitting together creates anticipation of fun
and enjoyment for him. Even though Cairns has not experienced a severe
cyclone event for several years now, he feels confident but also looks forward
to these risks with excitement.
INTERVIEWER: How come you don’t have confidence in them though?
CASS: Well I heard so many stories about people who now have insurance
but then they said oh no but you didn’t read the fine print. I suppose I
really […] should go into the details […] (but) you do it the first time and
then, yeah you just keep repaying.
While participants above relay some element of emotional reflexivity in
their understanding of the sector prior to the interview, this dialogue
with Cass demonstrates how emotions in the moment inform her decisions to stay insured. Like Booth and Harwood’s (2016, p. 49) ‘insurantial
moment’ where ‘in different contexts, different rationales are applied’ to
deal with specific ‘uncertainties,’ Cass moves from considering withdrawing from insurance, to confirming her desire to hold a policy based on
different risk contexts.
Emotions and risk-taking in non-insurance
Insurance is emotional. However, thus far the chapter has focused on
areas where those emotions are filled with negative feelings, especially
towards the insurers themselves. In this section, I want to relate some of
the feelings of complacency and optimism but also excitement that emerge
in discussions around risks and how this relates to insurance. When it
comes to risk assessment, not all share in the type of dread that Beck
(1992) suggests. There are those, as identified by Lupton (2013), that draw
on risks to heighten their emotional states. In reflecting on the risks of
living in the Cairns region, for instance, one mid-twenties male renter,
Fredrick, relates that although cyclones are a major threat, he feels they
are also just a bit of ‘fun.’ When pressed why he feels that way, he adds,
‘you go to your friends who lives in a good house and get on the piss (drink
alcohol).’ Fredrick is referring here to gatherings called ‘cyclone parties’
where people come together, bunker down in a solid structure and drink
together. He relates further,
It’s just there’s a buzz about the place (when a cyclone approaches).
When it’s happening. I’ve always been told oh, it’s been alright, you go
to a small room of the house and you sit it out, take the windows off.
There’s a social solidarity during, before and after a cyclone which is
exciting. As you know we don’t have too much of that quite often.
Fredrick’s feelings are punctuated by emotions of excitement. These are
derived from his own, and others, past experiences where the thrill of taking time off normal duties and sitting together creates anticipation of fun
and enjoyment for him. Even though Cairns has not experienced a severe
cyclone event for several years now, he feels confident but also looks forward
to these risks with excitement.