Assignment:
Melanie Legore
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
The Center for Disease Control is a public health institute that helps protect the safety of society through control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability. They offer information for the public free of charge for those interested. This CDC website provides information for the public information on ADHDand what the signs and symptoms, diverse types, causes, diagnosis, treatments, how to manage symptoms, and how to get help. The basic information given here will help the audience find resources and tools for the symptoms of ADHD.
The terms "logos, ethos, and pathos" are terms, originally from the Greek, defined by Aristotle some 350 years before Christ. Their meaning is offered in a translation of Nicomachean Ethics by Ostwald. Aristotle (1962) offers the following description of "logos".
"Fundamental meaning is speech, statement, in the sense that any speech or statement consists of a coherent and rational arrangement of words. (pp. 310)
This would suggest that the website, being arranged logically and having a clear purpose displays "logos". Further, the website displays a coherent, logical sequence of reasoning.
1) Define the problem.
2) Clarify the issues.
3) Look for causes.
4) Propose solutions.
Therefore, while the term "logos" merely speaks of reasonable words, in this case the website displays a clear, logical presentation of a problem and its solutions. It is clearly presented such that the visitor to the site might achieve some satisfaction from the content and the way it is presented.
The pathos part of this is that the writer focused on the emotions when they described that children with ADHD have trouble focusing and can have difficulty with school, home, and with friends
As for "pathos", Ostwald in Aristotle (1962) suggest that "emotion comes closest to what Aristotle meant (pp. 311). In the case of the ADHD website, this "Pathos" is observed in a graphic. The graphic is a photo of children's faces with a statement about the early onset of ADHD. The graphic is intended to connect the emotion which is experience by viewing the face of a child and then making a statement about the incidence of the disorder. The result is a predictable emotional event in the reader where they feel empathy or compassion for those with the disorder. The reader is, hopefully, instilled with an increased desire to address the disorder in a compassionate manner.
This emotional event increases the probability that the reader is engaged emotionally early in the experience and is more likely to read the balance of the information provided. In the absence of the emotional appeal, readers will be less likely to absorb the information.
A wider interpretation of "pathos" might be the word "affect" (Aristotle, 1962, pp.311) in that case, one might observe the overall design of the website might be "pathos". The overall mood of the website is less emotional than the graphic of the children.
The ethos part of the website does offers statements that discuss scientists are continuing to study the risk factors and causes of ADHD. Their goal is to find better ways to manage and reduce the chances of getting ADHD.
Ethos, as defined by Aristotle is the subject of the volume referenced below. Aristotle looks to human beings as being unique where we have "logos", logic or reasoning. As a result, we also possess the capacity for choosing. We, above all creatures can observe right and wrong. The website which is the topic of this paper is one authored by a government. The government gains its power from its people in the form of a document which defines what this government can and cannot do. The power which created this website is outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. "...promote the general welfare...". Therefore, the global intent of the website is to serve the citizens of the United States by actively promoting the general welfare of its citizenry.
Therefore, the "ethos" of this website is its global intent. Each word and picture is designed to promote the general welfare of those citizens and their families whose lives are more difficult because of this disorder. The website offers descriptions, causes, and solutions to a disorder which afflicts some. The intent is to reduce suffering and, consequently, promote the general welfare of the citizens that this government was formed to serve. This is "ethos".
References
Aristotle (1962) Nicomachan Ethics (Ostwald, M., ed.) New York: Macmillan Library of Liberal Arts.
Ogden, C. K. & Richards, I. A. (1923) The meaning of meaning:a study of the influence of language upon thought and of the science of symbolism.
Thorell, L. B., Sjöwall, D., Mies, G. W., &Scheres, A. (2017). Quick Delay Questionnaire: Reliability, validity, and relations to functional impairments in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Psychological Assessment, 29(10), 1261-1272. doi:10.1037/pas0000421
Hahn-Markowitz, J., Berger, I., Manor, I., &Maeir, A. (2017). Impact of the Cognitive-Functional (Cog-Fun) Intervention on Executive Functions and Participation Among Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. American Journal Of Occupational Therapy, 71(5), 1-9. doi:10.5014/ajot.2017.022053