International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

The major premise of message design logics is that individuals have different ways of reasoning (“design logics”) about communication. These individual differences affect how messages are structured to achieve goals (→  Message Production ; Goals, Cognitive Aspects of ; Goals, Social Aspects of ). As such, message design logic provides a “rational goal analysis” of a speaker's understanding of means–end relations in communication, which results in a range of variations evidenced in messages across a spectrum of complex situations ( O'Keefe 1988 ). Typically, rational goal analyses, such as Brown and Levinson's (1978) work on politeness or O'Keefe and Shepherd's (1987) work on arguments, see message variation in terms of “strategies.” The theory of message design logic extends rational goal analyses by arguing that strategy choice in the pursuit of goals can reflect underlying differences in fundamental premises individuals hold about communication (→  Interpersonal Communication ). O'Keefe (1988) argues that there are at least three different design logics that can explain message variation. These design logics, in order of functional and developmental sophistication, are labeled expressive, conventional, and rhetorical. An expressive design logic is the simplest logic and reflects the premise that language is primarily a vehicle for expressing thoughts and feelings. ... log in or subscribe to read full text