CRITICAL A

PPROACHES TO

COMMUNICATION TH

EORY

T A R A WI L

K I NS O N

TRADITIONS OF COMMUNICATION THEORY

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PHENOMENOLO

GICAL

TRADITION

C OM

MU N I C A T I O

N A S T H E E X P E R I E N C E O F S E L F A N D OT H E R S

T H R OU G H D I A L O

G U E .

PHENOMENOLOGICAL TRADITION• The perception of the phenomenon – object, event,

condition• Phenomenology: intentional analysis of everyday life from

the standpoint of the person who is living it.• The phenomenological tradition places great emphasis on

people’s perceptions and interpretations of their own subjective experiences.

• Actual lived experience is the basic data of reality• Phenomenological tradition answers two questions:

• Why is it so hard to establish and sustain authentic human relationships

• How can this problem be overcome?

BASIC PRINCIPLES – STANLEY DEETZ

Meaning of things consists

of the potential of

things

Language is a

vehicle of

meaning

INTERPRETATION IS CRITICAL

Interpretation

Phenomenological Tradition

PHENOMENOLOGY - VARIATIONS

Phenomenology

Classical Phenomenolo

gy

Phenomenology of

Perception

Hermeneutic Phenomenolo

gy

CLASSICAL PHENOMENOLOGY• Truth can only been obtained through direct experience• We must be disciplined in how we experience things• In order to arrive at the truth, we must set aside our biases• Objects of the world present themselves through

consciousness• Husserl’s approach highly objective• Objective

PHENOMENOLOGY OF PERCEPTION• Objective Subjective• Human being is a unified physical and mental being who

creates meaning in the world• We know things only through our personal relationship to

things• We are affected by the world, but also affect the world by

how we experience it• Things do not exist in and of themselves apart from how

they are known, people give meaning to things

HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGY• Consistent with ‘phenomenology of perception’ but applies

to communication• Reality is not known by careful analysis but by natural

experience, which is created by the use of language• What is real is experienced through the use of language in

context• It is in language that things first come into being and are• Communication is the vehicle by which meaning

is assigned to experience

FENCING THE FIELD OF COMMUNICATION THEORY

• These seven traditions have deep roots in communication theory.

• They have been mapped with respect to the objective/interpretive dichotomy.

• Hybrids are possible across traditions.• Ethical tradition is an addition

ETHICAL T

RADITION

C OM

MU N I C A T I O

N A S P E OP L E O

F C H A R A C T E R I N T E R A C T I N G I N J U S T

A N D B E N E F I C I A L WA Y S

ETHICAL TRADITIONNCA ‘Credo for Communication Ethics’:

① Advocates truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason.② Accepts responsibility for short-term and long-term

consequences of communication.③ Strives to understand and respect other communicators

before evaluating and responding to their messages.