Dissociation is a
rhetorical device
In rhetoric, a rhetorical device, persuasive device, or stylistic device is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading them towards considering a topic from a perspective, ...
in which the speaker separates a notion considered by the audience to form a unitary concept into two new notions.
[Van Rees, M.A. "Strategic Maneuvering with Dissociation." Argumentation 20.4 (2006): 473-487. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.]
Kathryn Olson, Director of the Rhetorical Leadership Program at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, explains that by doing this, the speaker fundamentally changes the reality of the thought system in question by creating a
disjunction
In logic, disjunction is a logical connective typically notated as \lor and read aloud as "or". For instance, the English language sentence "it is raining or it is snowing" can be represented in logic using the disjunctive formula R \lor S ...
between what was an integrated concept to begin with. According to M.A. van Rees, dissociation is a two step process of
distinction and
definition
A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...
: distinction divides a single concept into two new notions for the audience and definition replaces the original term or concept with two new terms, each with their own definitions.
This process is rhetorically effective when a rhetor presents a particular concept in a light that is favorable to his/her interests by dissociating a term with any notions that do not serve the rhetor's purpose.
According to Øyvind Ihlen, the rhetor attempts to "remove an incompatibility that arises from confrontation between propositions" to better affect an audience's beliefs.
[Ihlen, Øyvind. "Rhetoric and resources: notes for a new approach to public relations and issues management." Journal of Public Affairs 2.4 (2002): 259-269. Wiley Online Library. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.] Defining a situation through dissociation, when done correctly, authoritatively declares the two resulting concepts distinct and rules out any further argument.
References
Rhetorical techniques
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