ROBERT CRAIG’S SEVEN TRADITIONS

OF COMMUNICATION
ROBERT T. CRAIG

Born : May 10, 1947

Era: Contemporary Philosophy
Region: Western Philosophy
School: Pragmatism

Main interests: Communication Theory., social

constructionism

Notable ideas: Grounded practical theory,

metacommunicative model of communication, practical
discipline of communication
 Robert T. Craig is a communication theorist from the
University of Colorado, Boulder who received his BA in
Speech at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and his MA
and PhD in communication from Michigan State University.
Craig was on the 1988 founding board of the journal
"Research on Language and Social Interaction,“ a position
he continues to hold. From 1991 to 1993 Craig was the
founding editor of the International Communication
Association journal "Communication Theory" which has been
in continuous publication since 1991. He is currently the editor
for the ICA Handbook series. In 2009 Craig was elected as a
Lifetime Fellow for the International Communication
Association, an organization he was president for in 2004–
2005.
 COMMUNICATION THEORY AS A FIELD

In this article Craig "proposes a vision for communication

theory that takes a huge step toward unifying this rather
diseparate field and addressing its complexities.“
To move toward this unifying vision Craig focused on
communication theory as a practical discipline and shows
how "various traditions of communication theory can be
engaged in dialogue on the practice of communication.
“ In this deliberative process theorists would engage in dialog
about the "practical implications of communication theories.
How do we process the enormity of information
and comprehend the symbols of what each
import and export of the message means?
 1. SEMIOTIC TRADITION

Refers to one discipline that brings to light the

importance of signs and symbols and how they
come to represent ideas and concepts through
our own experiences and perceptions.
Sign (stimulus indicting some other condition)
Symbol (designating a complex sign with many
meaning) (Littlejohn & Foss 35)
 EXAMPLE

One person might look at a photograph

of Asia and see a foreign and exotic
landscape, whereas a person who has lived
or travelled there might look at it completely
different, as home or a place with specific
memories despite the fact that it is the same
image being shown.
THREE SUBDIVISIONS: SEMANTICS (what signs
represent)

Examples of Semantics:
A toy block could be called a block, a cube, a toy.

A child could be called a child, kid, boy, girl, son,

daughter.

The word "run" has many meanings-physically running,

depart or go (I have to run, spent (it has run its course), or
even a snag in a pair of hose (a run in my hose).
SYNTACTICS (relationships between signs)

The dog ate the bone.

My friends watched the film.
That road leads to the freeway.
The boy with red shorts kicked the ball.
PRAGMATICS (utility of signs)
 2. PHENOMENOLOGICAL TRADITION
People interpret messages and experiences by filtering
the comprehension through their own values and
understanding and therefore deciphering the world
through this.
An individual comes to know the world as they
participate and engage within it and how they relate to
an object is how they assess the meaning behind it
(Littlejohn & Foss 37)
Direct experience is very significant in this theory
Edmund Husserl (founder of modern phenomenology)
 Variations in the Phenomenological Tradition:

 Classical Phenomenology –
Edmund Husserl who founded modern phenomenology
maintained that truth could only be obtained through direct
experience.
 Phenomenology of Perception –
Maurice Merleau-Ponty is the main contributor to the
phenomenology of perception. It is believed that people only
know things through their personal relationship with the things.
 Hermeneutic Phenomenology
We use communication as the vehicle to assign meaning to
our experiences. It is only through natural experience that reality is
known and language is what creates and attributes meaning.
 Post-traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Patients: A Qualitative
Phenomenological Study
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rahele Fallah
2012-04-01
 Full Text Available Background: Studies about cancer-related trauma have shown that
psychological reactions to the disease are not exclusively negative but most patients also
report positive experiences. These positive perceptions are also called post-traumatic
growth and benefit patients psychologically, spiritually, and physically. Therefore,we have
conducted a study about how women with breast cancer perceive posttraumatic growth
and the recognition of its dimensions in Iran.
 Methods: This qualitative study was conducted by using Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis. A total of 23 women with breast cancer who met the inclusion criteria were
selected after which patients completed a researcher-generated open-ended
questionnaire. Data were analyzed according to the guidelines for the Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis and Smith method.
 Results: Participants perceptions in this study about post-traumatic growth included three
themes: spiritual growth, appreciation of life, and increased personal strengths.Conclusion:
Themes found in this study conformed to dimensions according to the Tedeschi and
Calhoun theory of post-traumatic growth. However, relations with others were not found in
the present study. We propose that interventions should be designed and implemented in
order to facilitate and enhance post-traumatic growth
 3. CYBERNETICS TRADITION

It examines the overall workings of

communication in relation to systems. A
system being “a system of parts, or variables,
that influence one another, shape and
control the character of the overall system”
(Littlejohn & Foss 40)
 EXAMPLE
The relationships between the students and
teacher, students and each other, subject
matter, environment of the classroom, cultural
diversity of students, and homework all come
together to form a cycle of networks and
connections.
4. SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL TRADITION
Individuals are more likely to adhere and accept
any new communication that abides to already
set systems of knowledge, beliefs and values.
It stems from psychological theories and is
focused heavily on the individual as a socialized
entity, but still independent on their actions
(Littlejohn & Foss 42)
Trait theory is the major focus in this tradition
 The socio-psychological tradition can be divided
into 3 large branches: behavioral, cognitive and
biological
Theories in the behavioral branch concentrate on how people
actually behave in communication situations;
cognitive theory centers on patterns of thought, concentrating
on how individuals acquire, store and process information in a
way that leads to behavioral outputs;
biological branch refers to the study of communication from a
biological standpoint, believing that many of our traits, ways of
thinking and behaviors are wired in biologically and derive not
from learning or situational factors, but from inborn
neurochemistry and neurobiological influences.
 5. SOCIO-CULTURAL TRADITION

Study of one’s relationship as a whole to a

culture rather than individual differences.
This tradition focuses on patterns of
interaction between people rather than
on individual characteristics or mental
models.
 6. CRITICAL TRADITION
Acquiring knowledge is not enough but action
is also a very fundamental key value.
Sociological change through communication is
essential as studies within this variation tend to
pivot around the powers, oppressions,
inequalities, and demographically different
privileges of a society (Littlejohn & Foss 45)
 7. RHETORICAL TRADITION

In a nutshell, rhetoric is “adjusting ideas to

people and people too ideas” (Littlejohn & Foss
49) through the use of language and symbols.
The art of persuasion is embedded within this
section, as communication and information go
hand in hand with educated societies and
individuals.
 To summarize:
 We have seven traditions andeach oneofthem
sees communication differently.
Cybernetic tradition, it's all about the linear or not
linear process but about the system through
which we transmit our message.
 Socio-psychological tradition, focusing at an
individual and this behavioural aspect of his
communicating practices. which we will fail to
decode.
Critical tradition is all about ideology and discourse.
 Rhetorical tradition is the art of public speaking. This
communication is an art of public speaking.
 Phenomenological tradition is focusing on the way how
do we understand the experiences of other people and
the experiences of the communication practices
themselves.
Semiotic tradition, all about science and symbols which
we can decode or which we will fail to decode.
 ARISTOTELIAN’S PRIMARY MODES OF PERSUASION

ETHOS (speaker’s credibility)

PATHOS (emotional effect on speaker’s
words)
LOGOS (speaker’s arrangement, evidence
and logic