RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 1

Rhetorical Analysis:

Models of Mental Disorders

By: William T. McKinney

Jake Kopinski

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

10-16-18
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Abstract

This paper focuses on the concept of animal models and how they are applied to different

mental illnesses for research purposes and if the author, William T. McKinney, use rhetorical

appeals to express his claims. The methods of research conducted are by observations and

interviews. Through the research conducted, animal models have developed valuable information

in common mental illnesses and are helpful in the further development of theories.
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 3

Rhetorical Analysis:

Models of Mental Disorders

Mental illness effects everyone in this world direct or indirectly. Most are exposed to it

on a daily basis, but few strides are made in developing models to help cure or prevent them. The

best way to ultimately understand a mental illness is to study it in a controlled environment.

What better way to control an environment than by using subjects that aren’t aware to their

surroundings. William McKinny’s book titled Models of Mental Disorder; gives a basic

overview, application, and examples of animal models. By using rhetorical appeals, he states his

claim about how animal models should be used. The use of rhetoric and rhetorical appeals are

how authors get their point across to their reader.

According to Doug Downs, (2017) most of human communication is nonverbal(p. 461).

This nonverbal communication is called rhetoric. Through rhetoric, knowledge can be attained or

expressed in a multitude of ways. Think of a text message conversation between two friends

about an upcoming football game. Friend A tells friend B that they are going to The Sun Bowl

on Saturday, friend B can then infer that friend A will be attending a UTEP Miners football

game. Friend B is able to discover that their friend is going to the game without having to hear

them say it. Rhetoric is used in human interaction also. Consider your facial expression during a

face to face conversation. When hearing something upsetting in a conversation a common

response is to roll your eyes. This nonverbal action of an eye roll communicates that someone is

unpleased by what was said. Rhetoric is a key ability in the art of persuasion. Ethos, Logos, and

Pathos are tools used to make a writer credible. For an author to be successful it is important for

them to include the use of rhetorical appeals. If rhetoric appeals are used well a text becomes a

genre.
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According to Dr. Vierra (2018), there are two types of genres; monographs and

anthologies (Lecture: genre). The type of genre used for this paper is a monograph; a text written

by one author, with one goal and one thesis. McKinney claims in this genre that, “this particular

book is intended to be a discussion of some general philosophical issues concerning

the development, evaluation and uses of animal models in psychiatry” (p. v). Genres specific

purpose are to advance knowledge in a discourse community. According to Swales, “a discourse

community utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of

its aims” (p.221). This paper itself will be a genre when completed.

Mental illness is an issue that effects millions on a global level. With it becoming a

growing problem, any research and or theories should and must be tested. Although animal

models are controversial in nature, the authors use of rhetorical appeals express the need for

them despite their negative stigma.

Discussion

Audience

For an author to be successful they need to know who their audience is. According to

Vierra (2018), there are two components to an audience: the intended audience and the actual

audience (powerpoint: audience). The intended audience is in the past, a genre is built upon

previous knowledge in the field. A member of the intended audience would be some who has

published a genre in the same field of study. The actual audience are people researching the topic

in present time.

At the time this book was written, not much research had been conducted on animal

models. Since there were no genres that had been created on the topic, McKinney took it into his

own hands to create a source of knowledge for other members of the psychiatric

community. As previously stated in the introduction of this paper, McKinney says,

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“this particular book is intended to be a discussion of some general philosophical issues

concerning the development, evaluation, and uses of animal models in psychiatry” (p. v). He

highlights four syndromes in the field of psychiatry; alcoholism, anxiety, depression and

schizophrenia. Although McKinney is a clinical psychiatrist, his work has been cited by authors

of other discourses. His work has also been used by members of the pharmacology community,

which makes this book interdisciplinary and much more useful as a genre. According to Vierra, a

text becomes interdisciplinary when it is used in more than one discourse community (lecture:

audience).

Ethos

When attempting to persuade someone on a topic a rhetor must be well versed in that

topic. According to Covino and Jolliffe (1995), a rhetor should show good character and be

credible (p. 336). This credibility is an author’s ethos. Without ethos a rhetor cannot be taken

seriously. The author, William T. McKinney, is a clinical psychiatrist who is a graduate of the

University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School. This monograph is made of multiple journal

entries that were composed over a several year span while McKinney was at the Center for

Advanced Studies in Behavioral Studies. After completion, this monograph was published by the

Plenum Medical Book Company. McKinney has an extensive background in the field of animal

models. He began research on animal models of depression when inspired by Dr. William

Bunney, then a member of the National Institute of Mental Health at the University of

California-Irvine (p. v). McKinney began to work with specifically primates when he was

introduced to Dr. David Hamburg at the Wisconsin Primate Laboratory. Here, he developed a

passion for animal behavior, more specifically social behavior of primates (p. vi).
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Pathos

Pathos deals in the art of persuasion. Pathos is how a rhetor can attempt to make the

reader view the topic in the same way as them. As stated by Covino and Jolliffe, pathos is

emotional appeal (p. 338). It is hard to not associate animal models with animal testing.

Although both forms of research use animals to develop a hypothesis or theory, animal models

are much more sophisticated than putting lipstick on a chimpanzee and seeing if the animal is

harmed. Animal models assist in giving valuable information and insight on diseases like

anxiety, depression, and alcoholism. The author is clinical in his approach to stay unbiased even

though he is a member of the animal model discourse community. As McKinney states, animal

models should be viewed as, “experimental preparations developed in one species for the

purpose of studying phenomena occurring in another species.” (p.vii). For example, critics of

animal models may say that they are artificial or nonspontaneous in origin, so they are not

relevant when compared to the human species. McKinney counters and states that most mental

illnesses are not naturally occurring, that they are developed from factors within their

environment. As is the case of the phobias and disorders studied in the later chapters of the book.

By arranging the book the way it is formatted, the authors goal is to get the readers emotion out

of the way so that a bad stigma is not brought upon the subject. As stated by Covino and Jolliffe,

arrangement is “the art of ordering the material in a text so that it is most appropriate for the

needs of the audience and the purpose the text is designed to accomplish” (p. 341). The Author

gives an extensive amount of detail in his background, actual animal models themselves, and

examples of success within animal models. By doing so, the reader will be persuaded into

thinking similar to him.

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Logos

Lastly is logos, it is the evidence used by the rhetor in a text or speech. According to

Covino and Jolliffe, logos is how a rhetor reasons with their audience (p. 338). If the audience

accepts a rhetors pathos and ethos, by providing logos they should be successful in persuading

them. The author uses multiple form of logos in this monograph. He prevents facts and

information through graphs, case studies and an extensive knowledge in the field.

Although a controversial topic, animal models are an important tool in the furthering of

knowledge of certain mental illnesses. According to William T. McKinney (1998) “animal

models are one way of evaluating, in a controlled manner, the effects of various possible

inducing conditions.” (p.21). Just to clarify, animal models are the process of experimenting on

one species of animal to relate and apply that knowledge to another species of animals. In this

case, it is the study of different phycological effects on animals and how we can relate that to

humans. Because animal models are done in a controlled environment, we can learn more

effectively the causes and effects of certain mental disorders. We can compare similarities and

differences between the species, and normally through the difference’s researches are able to

discover helpful information on treating certain aspects of illnesses such as schizophrenia and

depression.

What the author is arguing, is the fact that animal models are necessary to study certain

signs or symptoms that otherwise wouldn’t be possible to study in humans as they would be in

other species of animals. Also, researchers are able to make observations and conduct studies

quicker than they would be able to compared to the time it would take to conduct a human study.

Animal models are useful because the environment and variables can be controlled unlike most

case studies of human behavior. These controls the researchers have over the environment allow

for them to pin-point specific things and further develop theories over that specific observation.
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Conclusion

The purpose of this monograph was to explain the importance of animal models and how

they can be effective in developing theories for a large number of mental illnesses. Because of

his detailed past in the field, he is able to show ethos. McKinney uses pathos to make the reader

unbiased and open to new concepts. I was able to fully grasp the claims because of the way the

book was written. The author gave extensive background in the topic before seeing it applied to

an actual situation. Although some may disagree with the animal models, it is quite certain that

they are valuable and crucial to the research of mental illnesses.

References

Covino,William. Jolliffe, David . What Is Rhetoric? . Rhetoric:Concepts, Definitions,

Boundaries. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1995. pp. 3–26.

Downs, D. (2017). Rhetoric: Making Sense of Human Interaction and Meaning-Making. Writing

about Writing: Bedford/ St.Martin's. vol. 3, pp. 457-483

Rose, Mike. “Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language: A Cognitive Analysis of

Writer’s Block.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 31, no. 4, Dec 1980, pp.

389-401.

Swales, John. (1990). The Concept of Discourse Community. Boston Cambridge. Genre

Analysis: English in Academic and Research Setting, pp.215-228.

Vierra, P.J. (2018). Audience [Lecture].

Vierra, P.J. (2018). Genres [Lecture]. [Powerpoint]