Patterns in Pop Culture...
Cause & Effect
What is cause and effect?
Cause and Effect is the act of analyzing why things happen or might happen. Why do we use cause and effect? Cause and Effect can be used to inform, persuade, or entertain. As humans this pattern helps us analyze and make decisions to improve and understand an issue, situation, etc. at the very base level. Where do we find it used? Cause and effect is found in just about every discipline and occupation including history, social science, etc…. How do we write cause and effect? Start with an issue/topic/question and ask WHY? Then what contributed? What were the results? What might the consequences be? As you are working through this be careful not to oversimplify the causes and effects. You must not take an immediate stand of “post hoc, ergo propter hoc” or “after this therefore because of this”. This means you should not assume a relationship exists where one really doesn’t. For example, if a friend of yours gains weight. It might be easy to assume this has to do with eating and exercise habits. However, there could be a medical or emotional issue that is underlying, like a thyroid issue. Remember, you need to examine all aspects of the possible causes and effects. |