ABSTRACT
WHAT IS HUMOR? so what is humor? How can you begin to define something so diverse, yet so personal, as humor? Freud (1905) argued that humor releases submerged urges from the subconscious. Morreall (1983) described humor as a pleasant psychological shift and veatch (1998) called it the simultaneous presence in the mind of a normal pattern and a violation of that same pattern. With so many varying definitions of humor, it is important to note that universally, humor itself is caused by a psychological reaction to
a visual or verbal stimulant. something must cause the laughter. t o that end, it is also important to note that humor requires an understanding of a pattern. As you will explore later in the chapter, the audience must make an enthymematic connection with the message if its persuasive intent is to be effective.
