|
Dramatism, an interpretive communication studies theory, was developed by Kenneth Burke as a meta-method for analyzing human relationships. This theory compares life to a drama and provides the most direct route to human motives and human relations.〔Blakesley, David. The Elements of Dramatism. New York: Longman. 2002.〕 It sets up the Five Dramatistic Pentad strategy for viewing life, not as life itself,〔Mangham, I. L., & Overington, M. A. (2005). Dramatism and the theatrical metaphor. Life as theater, A dramaturgical sourcebook (2nd ed.), Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ, 333-346.〕 by comparing each social unit involved in human activities as five elements of drama - act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose,〔Griffin, Em. (2009). ''A First Look at Communication Theory''. (7th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.〕 to answers the empirical question of how persons explain their actions,〔Overington, M. (1977). Kenneth Burke and the Method of Dramatism. ''Theory and Society,'' 4, 131-156.〕 and to find the ultimate motivations of human activities. It is possible because Burke believes that Drama has recognizable genres. Humans use language in patterned discourses, and texts move us with recurring patterns underlying those texts.〔Brummett, B. (1993). Landmark Essays on Kenneth Burke (Vol. 2). Lawrence Erlbaum.〕 And drama has certain audiences, which means rhetoric plays a crucial role when humans deal with experiences.Language strategies are central to Burke's dramatistic approach.〔Brock, B. L. (1985). Epistemology and ontology in Kenneth Burke's dramatism. Communication Quarterly, 33(2), 94-104.〕 In this theory, Burke discusses two important ideas – that life is drama, and the ultimate motive of rhetoric is the purging of guilt.〔 ==Assumptions== Because of the complexity and extension of Burke's thinking, it is difficult to label the ontology behind his theory. However, some basic assumptions can still be extracted to support the understanding of dramatism. (1) Some of what we do is motivated by animality and some of it by symbolicity.〔Brummett, B. (1993). Landmark Essays on Kenneth Burke (Vol. 2). Lawrence Erlbaum.〕 Human's drinking water is to satisfy the thirst, an animal need, and reading paper is influenced by symbols. Burke's position is that both animal nature and symbols motivate us. For him, of all the symbols, language is the most important. (2) When we use language, we are used by it as well. Burke held a concept of linguistic relativity similar to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Words set our concepts and opinions, which means people cannot see beyond what their words lead them to believe.〔Burke, K. (1965). Permanence and Change. 1954. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill.〕 This assumption suggests that language exerts a determining influence over people,〔Melia, T. (1989). Scientism and Dramatism: Some Quasi-Mathematical Motifs in the Work of Kenneth Burke. The Legacy of Kenneth Burke, 55-73.〕 which means meanwhile people's propositions are often restricted to be polarized by language, because some language cannot express much nuance of opinion. (3) We are choice makers. Agency (sociology) is another key point of dramatism. "The essence of agency is choice."〔Conrad, C., & Macom, E. A. (1995). Re‐visiting Kenneth Burke: Dramatism/logology and the problem of agency. Southern Journal of Communication, 61(1), 11-28.〕 Social actors have the ability of acting out of choices. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dramatism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|