De Kock, JaniWagner, Claire2013-07-152014-05-302012-03Jani de Kock & Claire Wagner (2012) The psychological processes that culminate in audience loyalty to a South African soap opera, Communicatio : South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, 38:3, 293-311, DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2012.6877520250-0167 (print)1753-5379 (online)10.1080/02500167.2012.687752http://hdl.handle.net/2263/21954A model for the psychological processes that culminate in positive viewing experiences and audience loyalty to a soap opera is presented. The research was based on a secondary analysis of a qualitative market research study conducted for the SABC on the soap opera Isidingo. The analysis was conducted within a hermeneutic phenomenological interpretive framework. The model illustrates how viewers use soap-world knowledge and real-world knowledge to interpret the characters and storylines of soap operas, and that the degree of enjoyment the viewer experiences from viewing is dependent on the quality of the mental models formed of these respective components. The role that transportation, realism, social influences and timeslot play in the engagement process is also defined.en© Unisa Press. This is an electronic version of an article published in Communicatio, vol. 38, no. 3, pp.293-311, 2012. Communicatio is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcsa20.Hermeneutic phenomenologyLived realityMarket researchMedia psychologyQualitative researchSecondary analysisSoap operaMarketing research -- South AfricaTelevision soap operas -- South AfricaTelevision viewers -- Psychology -- South AfricaTelevision viewers -- Research -- South AfricaTelevision programs -- South AfricaIsidingo (Television program)Postprint Article