IletisimkuramvearastrmadergisiSay24KsBahar2007,s.

215228

Forum

The structure and function of

communication in society
Harold D. Lasswell 1
Trkiyedekigibihemsiyasalbilgilerfakltesindedikistutturamayp
iletisimfakltelerinegelen,hemiletisimihorgrenhemdeiletisimin
olmakosuluolarakenazikikisiningerektigini(gndericivealc
olmasn)nesrecekkadarbilgisizolanlaryetistirenlerinaksine,
ABDdeiletisimalannkuranvegelistirenlerinndegelenlerisosyal
bilimciler,zelliklesosyologlarvesiyasetbilimcileri,olmustur.Nermin
AbadanUnatvensalOskaygibibazistisnalardsnda,hempolitikave
iletisimarasndadogruveanlamlbagkuramayacakkadaryetersizlerin
hemdebuyetersizlikleriniIngilizceyiiyicegrenerekvetembelliklerini
yenerekgidermeyerineokulodalarndaaylkahvelidedikoduyu
seenlerinveiletisimalanna,hibirolumlukatkdabulunmadklargibi,
zararverenlerinaksine,ABDdekisiyasetbilimcileriletisimin
gelismesinebykkatkdabulunmuslardr.Bunlarnbasndagelenlerden
birideH.Lasswelldir.
HaroldLasswelliletisimdesadecebirformlnesrmemis,iletisimin
yapsvetoplumdakiislevlerihakkndabirkuramgelistirmistir.
Lasswellinklasikkuramnnbirkakelimelikformltesindebilinmesi
vebugrsnirdelenmesigerekir.LasswellinStructureandfunction
ofcommunicationinsocietymakalesindenparalarsunulmasndaki
ama,iletisimingndericiMesajAlcGeribeslemeerevesiiindeele
alanbasitliktenveDefleurgibibilimadamlarnnultratutucu
bagnazlklarnntesindeanlaslmasdr.Busunumiletisiminmesaj
gndermealmamekaniksrealgsnntersinetoplumdasrekliligi
saglamaylailiskisiniortayakoymaktadr.
1

Originalkaynak:LymanBryson(1948)(ed.)TheCommunicationofIdeas.New
york:TheInstituteforReligiousandSocialStudies.

Kaynak:Schramm,W.veRoberts,D.F.(1971)TheProcessandEffectsofMass
Communication.Urbana:UniversityofIllinoisPress,s.8499.

216
H. D. Lasswell

Theactofcommunication
Convenientwaytodescribeanactofcommunicationistoanswerthe
followingquestions:
WhoSaysWhatInWhichChannelToWhomWithWhatEffect?
Thescientificstudyoftheprocessofcommunicationtendsto
concentrateupononeoranotherofthesequestions.Scholarswhostudy
the"who,"thecommunicator,lookintothefactorsthatinitiateandguide
theactofcommunication.Wecallthissubdivisionofthefieldof
researchcontrolanalysis.Specialistswhofocusuponthe"sayswhat"
engageincontentanalysis.Thosewholookprimarilyattheradio,press,
film,andotherchannelsofcommunicationaredoingmediaanalysis(p.
84).Whentheprincipalconcerniswiththepersonsreachedbythe
media,wespeakofaudienceanalysis.Ifthequestionistheimpactupon
audiences,theproblemiseffectanalysis.
Whethersuchdistinctionsareusefuldependsentirelyuponthedegreeof
refinementwhichisregardedasappropriatetoagivenscientificand
managerialobjective.Oftenitissimplertocombineaudienceandeffect
analysis,forinstance,thantokeepthemapart.Ontheotherhand,we
maywanttoconcentrateontheanalysisofcontent,andforthispurpose
subdividethefieldintothestudyofpurportandstyle,thefirstreferring
tothemessage,andthesecondtothearrangementoftheelementsof
whichthemessageiscomposed.
Structureandfunction

Enticingasitistoworkoutthesecategoriesinmoredetail,thepresent
discussionhasadifferentscope.Wearelessinterestedindividingupthe
actofcommunicationthaninviewingtheactasawholeinrelationtothe
entiresocialprocess.Anyprocesscanbeexaminedintwoframesof
reference,namely,structureandfunction;andouranalysisof
communicationwilldealwiththespecializationsthatcarryoncertain
functions,ofwhichthefollowing
Communication in society 217

maybeclearlydistinguished:(i)thesurveillanceoftheenvironment;(2)
thecorrelationofthepartsofsocietyinrespondingtotheenvironment;
(3)thetransmissionofthesocialheritagefromonegenerationtothe
next.
Biologicalequivalences
Attheriskofcallingupfalseanalogies,wecangainperspectiveon
humansocietieswhenwenotethedegreetowhichcommunicationisa
featureoflifeateverylevel.Avitalentity,whetherrelativelyisolatedor
inassociation,hasspecializedwaysofreceivingstimulifromthe
environment.Thesinglecelledorganismorthemanymemberedgroup
tendstomaintainaninternalequilibriumandtorespondtochangesinthe
environmentinawaythatmaintainsthisequilibrium.Theresponding
processcallsforspecializedwaysofbringingthepartsofthewholeinto
harmoniousaction(p.85).Multicelledanimalsspecializecellstothe
functionofexternalcontactandinternalcorrelation.Thus,amongthe
primates,specializationisexemplifiedbyorganssuchastheearandeye,
andthenervoussystemitself.Whenthestimulireceivingand
disseminatingpatternsoperatesmoothly,theseveralpartsoftheanimal
actinconcertinreferencetotheenvironment("feeding,""fleeing,"
"attacking").
Insomeanimalsocietiescertainmembersperformspecializedroles,and
surveytheenvironment.Individualsactas"sentinels,"standingapart
fromtheherdorflockandcreatingadisturbancewheneveranalarming
changeoccursinthesurroundings.Thetrumpeting,cackling,orshrilling

ofthesentinelisenoughtosettheherdinmotion.Amongtheactivities
engagedinbyspecialized"leaders"istheinternalstimulationof
"followers"toadaptinanorderlymannertothecircumstancesheralded
bythesentinels.
Withinasingle,highlydifferentiatedorganism,incomingnervous
impulsesandoutgoingimpulsesaretransmittedalongfibersthatmake
synapticjunctionwithotherfibers.Thecriticalpointsintheprocess
occurattherelaystations,wherethearrivingimpulsemaybetooweak
toreachthethresholdwhichstirsthenextlinkintoaction.Atthehigher
centers,separatecurrentsmodifyoneanother,producingresultsthat
differinmanywaysfromtheoutcomewheneachisallowedtocontinue
aseparatepath.Atanyrelaystationthereisnoconductance,total
conductance,orintermediateconductance.Thesamecategoriesapplyto
whatgoesonamongmembersofananimalsociety.Theslyfoxmay
approachthebarnyardinawaythat
218H. D. Lasswell

suppliestoomeagerstimuliforthesentineltosoundthealarm.Orthe
attackinganimalmayeliminatethesentinelbeforehemakesmorethana
feebleoutcry.Obviouslythereiseverygradationpossiblebetweentotal
conductanceandnoconductance(p.86).
AttentioninWorldSociety
Whenweexaminetheprocessofcommunicationofanystateinthe
worldcommunity,wenotethreecategoriesofspecialists.Onegroup
surveysthepoliticalenvironmentofthestateasawhole,another
correlatestheresponseofthewholestatetotheenvironment,andthe
thirdtransmitscertainpatternsofresponsefromtheoldtotheyoung.
Diplomats,attaches,andforeigncorrespondentsarerepresentativeof
thosewhospecializeontheenvironment.Editors,journalists,and
speakersarecorrelatorsoftheinternalresponse.Educatorsinfamilyand
schooltransmitthesocialinheritance.
Communicationswhichoriginateabroadpassthroughsequencesin
whichvarioussendersandreceiversarelinkedwithoneanother.Subject

tomodificationateachrelaypointinthechain,messagesoriginating
withadiplomatorforeigncorrespondentmaypassthrougheditorial
desksandeventuallyreachlargeaudiences.
Ifwethinkoftheworldattentionprocessasaseriesofattentionframes,
itispossibletodescribetherateatwhichcomparablecontentisbrought
tothenoticeofindividualsandgroups.Wecaninquireintothepointat
which"conductance"nolongeroccurs;andwecanlookintotherange
between"totalconductance"and"minimumconductance."The
metropolitanandpoliticalcentersoftheworldhavemuchincommon
withtheinterdependence,differentiation,andactivityofthecorticalor
subcorticalcentersofanindividualorganism.Hencetheattentionframes
foundinthesespotsarethemostvariable,refined,andinteractiveofall
framesintheworldcommunity.
Attheotherextremearetheattentionframesofprimitiveinhabitantsof
isolatedareas.Notthatfolkculturesarewhollyuntouchedbyindustrial
civilization.WhetherweparachuteintotheinteriorofNewGuinea,or
landontheslopesoftheHimalayas,wefindnotribewhollyoutof
contactwiththeworld.Thelongthreadsoftrade,ofmissionaryzeal,of
adventurousexplorationandscientificfieldstudy,andofglobalwar
reachfardistantplaces.Nooneisentirelyoutofthisworld(p.87).
Communication in society 219

Amongprimitivesthefinalshapetakenbycommunicationistheballad
ortale.Remotehappeningsinthegreatworldofaffairs,happeningsthat
cometothenoticeofmetropolitanaudiences,arereflected,however
dimly,inthethematicmaterialofballadsingersandreciters.Inthese
creationsfarawaypoliticalleadersmaybeshownsupplyinglandtothe
peasantsorrestoringanabundanceofgametothehills.
Whenwepushupstreamoftheflowofcommunication,wenotethatthe
immediaterelayfunctionfornomadicandremotetribesmenis
sometimesperformedbytheinhabitantsofsettledvillageswithwhom
theycomeinoccasionalcontact.Therelayercanbetheschoolteacher,
doctor,judge,taxcollector,policeman,soldier,peddler,salesman,

missionary,student;inanycaseheisanassemblypointofnewsand
comment.
Moredetailedequivalences
Thecommunicationprocessesofhumansociety,whenexaminedin
detail,revealmanyequivalencestothespecializationsfoundinthe
physicalorganismandintheloweranimalsocieties.Thediplomats,for
instance,ofasinglestatearestationedallovertheworldandsend
messagestoafewfocalpoints.Obviously,theseincomingreportsmove
fromthemanytothefew,wheretheyinteractupononeanother.Later
on,thesequencespreadsfanwiseaccordingtoafewtomanypattern,as
whenaforeignsecretarygivesaspeechinpublic,anarticleisputoutin
thepress,oranewsfilmisdistributedtothetheaters.Thelinesleading
fromtheouterenvironmentofthestatearefunctionallyequivalenttothe
afferentchannelsthatconveyincomingnervousimpulsestothecentral
nervoussystemofasingleanimal,andtothemeansbywhichalarmis
spreadamongaflock.Outgoing,orefferent,impulsesdisplay
correspondingparallels.
Thecentralnervoussystemofthebodyisonlypartlyinvolvedinthe
entireflowofafferentefferentimpulses.Thereareautomaticsystems
thatcanactononeanotherwithoutinvolvingthe"higher"centersatall
(p.88).Thestabilityoftheinternalenvironmentismaintained
principallythroughthemediationofthevegetiveorautonomic
specializationsofthenervoussystem.Similarly,mostofthemessages
withinanystatedonotinvolvethecentralchannelsofcommunication.
Theytakeplacewithinfamilies,neighborhoods,shops,fieldgangs,and
otherlocalcontexts.Mostoftheeducationalprocessiscarriedonthe
sameway.