ipl-logo

Thomas Hobbes Disposition Theory

2325 Words10 Pages

Disposition Theory
We live in a media world, where we have lots of media tools that enables us lots of facilities, such as connect, share information, learn, get entertained and etc. It is obvious that media is very strong tool that has great impact on its audience. Beside its many features, one of the most important features of the media is entertainment. Throughout the centuries a great number of studies done, lots of theories introduced in order to explain and learn media effects, its impact, its ability to manipulate and many other issues. One of the recent important theories that concentrate on enjoyment that media consumers get from media is Disposition Theory. As states Arthur A. Raney in his article, “Why do we like what we like?” …show more content…

Throughout the centuries philosophers tried to understand why it is pleasurable to laugh at misfortunes of others for people. Plato suggested that it is in human nature and it is morally justifiable behavior to laugh and be happy for misfortunes of our enemies, or the people that we don’t like. Same approach came from another philosopher, after centuries, Thomas Hobbes, that lead to superiority theory, which means comparing oneself with weaker people is a innate need and it helps people to feel superior on the ones who are weaker and inferior than oneself. He suggested that laughing at other peoples’ faults, misfortunes improves peoples’ self-concept. Disposition theory of humor can be explained in three ways, which are, affiliation, reference group and continuum of …show more content…

For example, while watching a film, observer makes moral judgments about behaviors of characters, and if they find the behavior of particular character morally justifiable then observer supports that character and take his/her side, but if observers find the behaviors of characters as morally improper then observer dislikes the character and wants that character face misfortunes. Empathy is important subject in disposition theory of drama. In other words, if we have positive feelings to a character then we have strong empathetic response to the character and react reverse response to the characters that we don’t like and have negative feelings. The disposition theory of drama has three components that help us to understand theory briefly:
• Character: Form our disposition. We watch characters’ behaviors; we make moral judgments and take sides, the ones we like and the ones that we don’t like.
• Outcome: Hope for outcome. We want good outcomes for the characters we like and support and we want bad outcomes for the characters that we don’t like.
• Enjoyment: If good things happen to the characters that we like our magnitude of enjoyment goes high and again if bad things happen to bad characters our magnitude of enjoyment goes

Show More
Related
738 Words | 3 Pages

This is an example of changing the situation. B. Based on Critchley’s article humor functions as anti-depressant by allowing the cognitive relation to, oneself and the world. “Humor has the same formal structure as depression but it’s an anti-depressant”. It’s a way to suppress depression by being able to find positive functions for the superego.

Read More
720 Words | 3 Pages

Likewise, the characters believed that those closest to the characters did not exhibit any concern until they withstand an eye-opening incident, putting into perspective how much they are valued underneath cold exteriors. In the modern reality, reading about characters undergoing a disconnection acts as if it were a mirror to the viewer, allowing them to reflect on how toxic their own filial and peer relationships are. In short, instead of facing the grueling reality of oblivious affection from others, readers use literature as a way to see which events act as effects of an indeliberate

Read More
523 Words | 3 Pages

While reading stories, people can discover different points of view. Although stories have different points of view, similar messages can be created from them. The point of view of a story often creates tension. Many details have been found to prove this. By analyzing these stories, the different points of view can explain why tension was created.

Read More
1153 Words | 5 Pages

This is important to the novel because it enables readers to understand the reasons for each character’s actions. Even though, sometimes, they may be difficult to understand, we must not negate the fact that each character's attitude and personality is shaped by the given world in which they are

Read More
516 Words | 3 Pages

Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character’s actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary. I. Introduction: A. In Mary Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein, the reader is tasked with answering the central question of who is the truest evil.

Read More
435 Words | 2 Pages

Who am I Without Him? The author of “So I ain’t no Good Girl”, Sharon Flake, develops the characters in a way I find realistic and original. It is told in a first person view of the main character; although, we don’t know her name, we know her boyfriend’s name, Raheem. He is known for his good looks and muscles.

Read More
713 Words | 3 Pages

What does it mean to have character? Character is what makes each person so individual. Character is very specific to each person, and everyone’s character is different. Character can be broken down into six different pillars; each one exemplifying what is truly means to be a Nation Honor Society candidate, which is why character continues to be one of the most important pillars in National Honor Society.

Read More
644 Words | 3 Pages

The main objectives in chapter 9 include the ways media attempt to influence people’s attitudes, beliefs, and/or behavior, ways media technology can be disruptive and have adverse effects on behavior, the positive and negative influences of certain kinds of media, such as advertisements or reality television programs, on self-image. Even though media is a great outlet, media has changed our generation causing effects on self-image and human interactions. Because of its pervasiveness in American culture, the media affects people in both obvious and subtle ways. Modern media comes in many different formats, including newspapers, magazines, television, social media, etc.

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

Humor is the ingredient that keeps it all moving, holds the bigger picture, inspires and brings a sense of gratitude for life. Aspiring to these qualities illuminates the lack of them at times. When I hit this kind of wall or low, I turn to the smile and humor to elevate my

Read More
631 Words | 3 Pages

Self fulfillment has an effect on every character it may affect them in good ways or they might have forgot what self fulfillment is. The idea of self-fulfiment has devolped and relected in literay test because it gives the readers the ideas of have clamities that the character faces to be where they are. In the books I have studied the author gives the reader a step by step analiys of how the character delvopes and achvies the long term or short term goal. The ideas the text creator gives is how the charactrers attempt to obtain the satifaction of self-fulfllment giving readers advice or fictonal stories on how the chracters over come the obsticals to reach self-fufliment.

Read More
838 Words | 4 Pages

Summary Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) theory of social contract, which states that we need moral, legal rules because we want to escape the state of nature which is solitary, poor, brutal, nasty, and short. In this state, a man can kill others, and there are limited resources. This can soon lead to a state of war in which we are constantly disposed to harm others to achieve our goals. So, in this state of war if a person was to possess a beautiful house or property, and had all the comforts, luxuries, and amenities to lead a wonderful life; others could come and harm him and deprive him of his fruit of labor, life, and liberty. Therefore, the state of nature is that of fear, violence, and distrust.

Read More
1720 Words | 7 Pages

One of the most valuable aspects of personality is humor – we value one’s sense of humor and make friends often based on finding certain things funny. But how and why do we consider things to be funny at all? Human beings have strived to uncover fundamental truths about human nature for centuries – even millennia – but humor itself is still yet to be pinpointed. Henri Bergson is only one of many who has attempted this feat, and his essay Laughter: an essay on the meaning of the comic from 1911 breaks down comedy into what he believes to be its essential forms and origins. While Bergson makes many valid points, Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times that was brought to screens only twenty years later seems to contradict many of Bergson’s theories, while Bergson seems to contradict even himself over the course of his essay.

Read More
721 Words | 3 Pages

The conception of humor as an expression of superiority is further developed by Thomas Hobbes (1651). Hobbes identifies humor with sudden glory and stated that “The passion of laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly” (Feinberg, 1978; Berger, 1993). This statement on humor formed the benchmark of Superiority theory of humor. Hobbes’s idea of humor built on the ideas of Ludovici (1933) and Rapp (1951). Ludovici proposed that superiority humor results from the awareness and recognition of having adapted to the societal norms in a better way in comparison to the others person who is being laughed at.

Read More
1042 Words | 5 Pages

Hobbesian Theory in Lord of the Flies The question of whether man is inherently good or evil has been debated amongst religions, philosophers, and many great thinkers since the beginning of man itself. On one hand, there are those who believe we as humans are naturally moral beings, and it is society that makes us evil. However, others argue society is not only good, but needed to control our inhumane and animalistic tendencies. One of the most famous believers in this theory is English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes.

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

The theory explains “how individuals use mass communication to gratify their needs” (Burgeon, Hunsaker and Dawson, 1994, cited in Udende and Azeez, 2010, p. 34). The theory holds that “people influence the effects that mass media have on them” (Anaeto et al, 2008 cited in Edegoh, Asemah and Nwammuo, 2013, p. 23). The assumption of the theory is that people are not just passive receivers of media messages; rather, they actively influence the message effects. Media audience selectively choose, attend to, perceive and retain media offerings on the basis of their needs, beliefs, etc., thus, “there are as many reasons for using the media as there are media users”

Read More

More about Thomas Hobbes Disposition Theory

Related Topics

Open Document