Quick Write

What monster or category of monster are you thinking about researching for your Causal Analysis?

Understanding Causal Relationships

Causality: the relationship of cause and effect

You should identify the types of causal relationships on your charts (you might use different types of arrows, different colors, or simply labels to show what kind of cause is being mapped).

  • Necessary Cause: any factor that must be in place for something to occur.
  • Sufficient Cause: is a condition that always produces the effect in question.
  • Precipitating Cause: the proverbial straw that breaks a camel’s back.
  • Proximate Cause: nearby and often easy to spot.
  • Remote Cause: may act at some distance from an event but be closely tied to it.
  • Reciprocal Cause: you have a reciprocal situation when a cause leads to an effect that, in turn, strengthens the cause.
  • Contributing Factors: add to the causes to bring about the effect.

Why is society so fascinated with serial killers?

The Survival Of The Slasher Film

1. Emphasizing Causes

Cause asks:

  • Why did X happen?
  • Why does X happen?
  • Why will X happen?

Example: Why did Ed Gein kill those women?

  • Cause 1 – ____________________________
  • Cause 2 – ____________________________
  • Cause 3 – ____________________________

Produced:

  • Event – ______________________________

causes

2. Emphasizing Effects

Effect asks:

  • What did X produce?
  • What does X produce?
  • What will X produce?

Example: What impact did Ed Gein have in pop culture? or What is the lasting impact of Ed Gein?

  • Event – _______________________________

Produced:

  • Effect 1 – ______________________________
  • Effect 2 – ______________________________
  • Effect 3 – ______________________________

effects

3. Causal Chain

Cause > Effect 1 > Effect 2 > Effect 3

Example: Ed Gein > Psycho novel > Psycho movie > Slasher Films > Silence of the Lambs

Homework

  • Journal 13 Due