Good Example Of Essay On Ethical And Psychological Theories Of Humor

Humor provokes laughter. Most people from all backgrounds have a sense of humor since they can experience laughter. The extent to which one finds something to be humorous mainly depends on their culture, level of maturity, intelligence and educational background. There are other forms of humor that appeal to adults such as satire since they can only be humorous when the audience understands the context. Humor is, therefore, relative from one individual to another. People who do not seem to have self- interest seem to interest people, who see their actions as humorous.
People easily relate to humor since they find it to be non-threatening. There are few philosophers who have tried to explain the concept of humor. This is due to the difficulty in the field of study and the erroneous dismissal of the subject as one that has insignificant concern. Nevertheless the field of study has a significant and comprehensive scope since it relates to disciplines such as psychology, sociology, literature and anthropology thus making it a relevant field of study.
Over the years, various scholars have come up with various theories that explain what is meant by humor and the social function it serves. The theories of humor are derived from different perspectives such as sociological, anthropological, linguistics, psychological and theatrical aspects. One of the theories of humor is the psychological theory which considers human behavior related to humor to be healthy. People use humor in different occasions such as in advertisements and teaching to capture the attention of the audience.
John Morreall attempted to explain the general theory of humor and laughter by stating that laughter emanates from a pleasant psychological shift while humor results from a pleasant cognitive change. Humor can also be found in other social settings that are non-humorous where it is used as a mechanism of relieving tension (Morreall, 2009).
According to the superiority theory of humor, when one laughs they express feelings of superiority over others or the former states they were in (Martin, 2007). Laughter is said to devalue the object in the eyes of its subject, which explains the reason people do not like it when others laugh at them. This theory lost its relevance in the 18th century when Hutcheson argued that there was no connection between laughter and the state of superiority. He argued that people do not compare themselves with others when they laugh thus the aspect of superiority does not count. The superiority theory does not explain laughter in some cases where people laugh at themselves, for example, in cases where one misplaces a hat, only to find it in their heads.
Another theory that explains the humor is the relief theory which looks at humor as a relief from tension. The relief theory is majorly contributed by Sigmud Freud and Herbert Spencer. The theorists do not define the humor but rather they explain the psychological components that led to laughter and the essential structures of humor (Morreall, 2009). The theory argues that laughter originates from release of excessive energy. Spencer developed the theory of laughter that was closely linked to the theory of nervous energy. The hydraulic nervous energy theory holds that the energy produced in as a result of mental agitation and excitement is used in other ways. Muscular motion is triggered by nervous excitation. According to Spencer, humor leads to laughter that is used to release energy that is built up as a result of mental agitation or excitement. The theory of relief from Spencer’s perspective is criticized following its inability to explain humor that occurs quickly.
In many instances, jokes such as cartoons do not need one to build up energy for them to find it humorous. On the same note, Freud develops the theory of relief that explains the transfer of energy mechanism. According to Freud, laughter is caused by three major factors namely jokes, humor, and comic. Some psychic energy is saved and then released in laughter. Humor involves saving of emotional energy from a situation that could have led one to be provoked emotionally becomes a different situation for people to laugh about. From the jokes perspective, Freud argues that the energy that would have otherwise been used to repress violent feelings is not consumed and can be used during laughter. In a situation where laughter is caused by comic, the cognitive energy used in critical thinking is saved and used up in laughter. Although scholars have not yet developed an explanation for the right definition of humor and laughter, it is clear that both the processes of laughter and humor are linked with the release of pent up energy. Humor is said to be a kind of playfulness (Martin, 2007).
The other theory explaining humor is the incongruity theory developed by philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, James Beattie, Arthur Schopenhauer and Soren Kierkegaard (Roeckelein, 2006). The theory holds that laughter is the perception of some factors that violates mental patterns and expectations. One way for a speaker to make their audience laugh is by creating expectations to the audience then violating the expectation. This makes the violation of the expectation humorous. The same effect can be achieved through interchanging of word spelling. James Beattie points out that laughter are as a result of a sentiment or emotion by the ideas presented to it (Martin, 2007). A humorous laughter is caused by two or more unsuitable and inconsistent circumstances considered to be united. Immanuel Kant points out that one laughs after experiencing something absurd. Laughter is an expression affection brought about by humor. It arises from a sudden change of a strained expectation into nothing. Jokes do not necessarily teach lessons to individuals, but they amuse people by shifting one’s thoughts.
While Kant associated lack of fit in humor between different expectations and experience, Arthur points out that there is the lack of fit between one's sense of perceptions of things and their rational knowledge of the same stuff. Arthur says that the humor arises when one notices an incongruity between a perception and a concept that are supposed to be similar. Majority of actions by human beings are performed with the help of deliberation and reason, but some of the measures do not need the conditions. Laughter is caused by a sudden incongruity perception between an object, and a concept is related. The laughter is an expression of the difference.
Soren argues that humor results from three spheres of existence, that is ethical, aesthetic and religion. He points out that the humor is closely related to irony. Irony marks the boundary between ethical and aesthetic spheres while humor separates religious and ethical spheres of human existence. Kiekard points out that humor refer to the difference between one’s experience and their expectations. The same event that we think about violates one's ordinary expectations. The congruity theory has been criticized because what is enjoyed in humor is not congruity. Resolution of incongruity is only suitable for some humors since understanding humor is similar to solving a complex solution. The perception of incongruity is not sufficient for humor since violation of one’s expectations is less likely to result in amusement. The violations are expected to bring out emotions such as fear, anger, and disgust.
In conclusion, humor is experienced differently by different individuals depending on their levels of maturity, the educational background or culture. Humor is used in many ways to persuade clients in advertisements and to make students attentive in schools. The theories that explain humor are yet to be fully developed since the few theories have their weaknesses. The theories fail to explain the causes of laughter fully. The theories include incongruity, superiority or relief theories that try to explain how humor is achieved. The superiority theory holds that humor results from sudden glory while relief theory holds that the humor is a way of releasing energy created by repression. The incongruity theory associates humor as a response to an incongruity.