The Seven Traditions Flashcards
Phenomenological Tradition
- Definition
- Three basic principles
- Hermeneutic circle
- Hermeneutic phenomenology
the way in which human beings come to understand the world through direct experience—the perception of a phenomenon,
“Phenomenology means letting things become manifest as what they are.” 18 If you want to know what love is, you would not ask psychologists; you would tap into your own experience of love.
Three basic principles:
1) knowledge is found directly in conscious experience—we come to know the world as we engage it.
2) the meaning of a thing consists of the potential of that thing in one’s life.how you relate to an object determines its meaning for you.
3) language is the vehicle of meaning. We experience the world through the language used to define and express that world.
hermeneutic circle: We construct an interpretation of an event or experience and then test that interpretation by looking closely at the specifics of the event once again—a continual process of refining our meaning for what we see and do.
Hermeneutic phenomenology: natural experience, which is created by the use of language in everyday life. What is real is what is experienced through the use of language in context.
Cybernetic Tradition
-Definition
the tradition of complex systems in which interacting elements influence one another. Within cybernetics, communication is understood as a system of parts, or variables, that influence one another, shape and control the character of the overall system, and, like any organism, achieve both balance and change.
The idea of a system forms the core of cybernetic thinking. Systems are sets of interacting components that together form something more than the sum of the parts.
In addition to interdependence, systems are also characterized by self-regulation and control. In other words, systems monitor, regulate, and control their outputs in order to remain stable and to achieve goals.
Sociopsychological Tradition
focus on individual social behavior, psychological variables, individual effects, personalities and traits, perception, and cognition. Although these theories have many differences, they share a common concern for behavior and for the personal traits and cognitive processes that produce behavior.
this tradition is most often associated with “the science of communication.” Much of the current work in this tradition in communication focuses on persuasion and attitude change—message processing, how individuals plan message strategies, how receivers process message information, and the effects of messages on individuals.
three large branches: (1) the behavioral; (2) the cognitive; and (3) the biological.
Sociocultural Tradition
address the ways our understandings, meanings, norms, roles, and rules are worked out interactively in communication.
focuses on patterns of interaction between people rather than on individual characteristics or mental models. Interaction is the process and site in which meanings, roles, rules, and cultural values are worked out. Although individuals do process information cognitively, this tradition is much less interested in the individual level of communication. Instead, researchers in this tradition want to understand ways in which people together create the realities
Critical Tradition
- 3 ideas that make it up
- Marxism
First, the critical tradition seeks to understand the taken-forgranted systems, power structures, and beliefs—or ideologies—that dominate society, with a particular eye to whose interests are served by those power structures.
Second, critical theorists are particularly interested in uncovering oppressive social conditions and power arrangements in order to promote emancipation, or a freer and more fulfilling society.
Third, critical scholarship makes a conscious attempt to fuse theory and action. Such theories are clearly normative and act to accomplish change in the conditions that affect society.
Rhetorical Tradition
“adjusting ideas to people and people to ideas”
Semiotic Tradition
- Definition/Basic concept
- Triad of meaning
- Semantics
- Syntactics
- Pragmatics
theories about how signs come to represent objects, ideas, states, situations, feelings, and conditions outside of themselves.
basic concept is the sign, defined as a stimulus designating or indicating some other condition—as when smoke indicates the presence of fire. A second basic concept is symbol, which usually designates a complex sign with many meanings.
triad of meaning: which asserts that meaning arises from a relationship among three things—the object (or referent), the person (or interpreter), and the sign.
Semantics : addresses how signs relate to their referents, or what signs stand for. Whenever we ask the question, “What does a sign represent?” we are in the realm of semantics.
syntactics: or the study of relationships among signs. Signs virtually never stand by themselves. They are almost always part of a larger sign system, or group of signs, organized in particular ways.
Pragmatics: the third major semiotic study, looks at how signs make a difference in people’s lives, or the practical use and effects of signs and their impact on social life.
