Aspirations of Feeling: An Analysis of Ideal Affect within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through General Conference Discourse from 2000-2025

Abstract

Emotions are an integral part of religious discipleship that powerfully influence how individuals understand what it means to live and feel like faithful members of a religious community. Within these communities, certain emotional dispositions are elevated as spiritually aligned, while others are discouraged or reframed. These aspirational emotional states, described within this study as ideal affect, are modeled and nurtured through the culture and norms of a religious tradition. One of the most influential contributors to the formation of this culture is discourse. Through authoritative written and spoken discourse, emotional ideals are articulated, modeled, and reinforced over time. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the biannual General Conference serves as a significant forum for affective instruction. During General Conference, leaders communicate authoritative teachings that help members around the world understand both doctrinal principles and emotional expectations of faithful discipleship. This thesis examines over 1,300 General Conference addresses delivered between 2000 and 2025 to analyze the theological and contextual foundations of ideal affect in contemporary Latter-day Saint life. Through this analysis, the study aims to identify core affective principles that structure Latter-day Saint emotional expectations, including: discipleship as emulation of Christ, charity as a defining feature of covenantal life, joy and cheerfulness as forms of testimonial witnessing, humility as an affective orientation of discipleship, and a peaceable heart that rejects contention. It also examines contextual factors that highlight how these affective principles are interpreted and applied through prophetic emphasis, emotional responses to collective crisis, and evolving perspectives on emotional distress and mental health. The study reveals a tension that may exist for Latter-day Saints between emotions aspired to and their lived emotional experience.