View

Serap Durmuş Öztürk, Karadeniz Technical University, Turkiye
serapdurmus@ktu.edu.tr

View refers to a mental perspective, interpretation, or evaluative stance that an individual or group holds regarding a particular subject. It shapes how one perceives, understands, and assesses phenomena, informed by cognitive processes and contextual factors. Goffman as well as Habermas find a view is not merely a momentary opinion but a structured, dynamic framework influenced by both individual cognition and collective social norms. It functions as a lens through which individuals and societies interpret, evaluate, and respond to the world.

When analysing an author’s view, claims Zaller, it is essential to consider their perspective or evaluative stance toward the subject. This can be inferred from rhetorical and stylistic choices such as diction, syntax, and the selection of evidence, all of which convey implicit or explicit evaluations. An author’s view extends beyond explicit statements to include patterns of reasoning, descriptive detail, and emphasis, revealing the underlying attitudes and assumptions shaping their representation of the topic, states Noelle-Neumann.

In the realm of political opinion, a view encompasses an individual or collective orientation toward political issues, ideologies, or policies. Political views are shaped by personal experiences, core values, socio-cultural influences, and exposure to diverse information sources per Zaller. For Noelle-Neumann these views are expressed across dimensions such as political ideologies, economic policies, social justice, governance, and foreign relations. The formation and evolution of political views reflect both individual cognition and broader societal discourse, often shaped by historical context, media, and social interactions says Habermas.

In sum, a view is a dynamic interpretive framework that integrates personal cognition, cultural norms, rhetorical strategies, and social dynamics, making it central to both individual and collective meaning-making, concludes Goffman.

Keywords: interpretive framework, cognitive perspective, social norms

Related Entries: Ideology, Political Expression, Stance

References:
Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organisation of experience. Harper and Row.
Habermas, J. (1989). The structural transformation of the public sphere: An inquiry into a category of bourgeois society. MIT Press.
Noelle-Neumann, E. (1993). The spiral of silence: Public opinion—Our social skin. University of Chicago Press.
Zaller, J. (1992). The nature and origins of mass opinion. Cambridge University Press.