Humor

Conceptual Overview

Humor has been the subject of serious conceptualization, at least within the West, going back as far as Aristotle and Plato. Indeed, a diverse range of philosophers, from S⊘ren Kierkegaard to Immanuel Kant, has offered a consideration of the phenomenon. The disparate perspectives articulated continue to be mirrored in the theoretical variety that persists in the field. This variety notwithstanding, it is common to consider three theories as dominant contemporarily: incongruity theory, superiority theory, and relief theory.

There are variants of incongruity theory, but it basically assumes that humor arises when two disparate, normally distant and unrelated, or even antagonistic, ideas, events, or worldviews are juxtaposed or framed in a surprising manner. It is perhaps better labeled incongruity-resolution theory, since many argue that it is not the incongruity itself that is funny but the resolution through which the strange and perhaps uncomfortable juxtaposition is resolved. An influential[Page 621] version of incongruity today is the semantic-script theory of Victor Raskin, which focuses on the linguistic incongruities in humor; a derivation is the general theory of verbal humor developed by Raskin with Salvatore Attardo.

Superiority theory, with roots in Plato's conceptualization, supposes that humor emerges from the perception of a hierarchical relationship wherein those who locate themselves in a superior position can feel good about their position relative to others and derive humor from the derision, misfortune, and malfunctioning of those in lowly positions. It is an aggressive conception of humor and has been discussed, for example, with respect to ethnic jokes, but also in relation to the establishment and maintenance of hierarchical relations in organizations.

Finally, relief theories are rooted in Freudian psychoanalytic conceptions. At its core it suggests that humor is the result of the pleasurable relief experienced when a humorous situation allows the release of energy normally used to suppress feelings, particularly sexual and violent ones. Humor and comedy provide a socially acceptable outlet for these repressed feelings and drives. Other, less psychoanalytic versions see humor as a relief from negative feelings such as pain or sadness.

This summary does not exhaust the theoretical perspectives on humor, and all three discussed have their variants. The diversity reflects a difficulty in the area—the sheer variety of humor as a phenomenon. The variety derives from both the multiplicity of forms that humor and comedy can take—as diverse as pratfalls, jokes, parody, and satire—and the range of contexts in which it occurs—whether formal, staged humor or spontaneous occurrence in everyday interactions—and in verbal, written, and graphic modes of presentation.

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