The moment the comedian begins to question his or herself and realizes that others have lived through similar experiences, the comedian's got the makings of a punchline. Inner humor begins, a process of humorous development within the broader context of personality development.
The drama of inner seeking, figuring out the world, feeling anguish, questioning the meaning of human existence, testing one's values and ideals, growing in empathy and understanding of others - these are the elements that encompass the threads through which humor is woven.
Comedy falls into two concepts: (1) development potential, and (2) multilevelness. Development potential refers to the initial endowment that is humorous in an individual. The stronger the endowment, the greater the potential for advanced development (among other things). How it will be delivered depends on the life of the comedian and personality traits he or she has picked up along the way. Weaker endowment means that the comedian better have a really good personality otherwise known as Plan B.
Multilevelness presents the bold idea that comedic experience varies according to level or type of development. Human emotions, motivations, values, desires, and behaviors are expressed in strikingly different ways. For example, high brow humor could be experienced as feeling superior, defeating an opponent, succeeding by cunning, or from the feeling of power when cleverly manipulating others.
But to many people, such laughter that arises would be offensive because of its disregard for others. A different kind of humor would be the laughter that a joke evokes due to nostalgia, overcoming bad habits, self-discovery, creativity and inspiration, or being able to make another feel better (healing power of humor). In the first case, the laughter is egocentric, self-serving, self-protecting, and power-seeking. In the second case, the humor arises from respect and empathy towards others, from positive changes in oneself, and from expansive feelings of a higher order. The first case represents laughter at a low emotional level; the second case represents laughter on a high emotional level.
Talents, specific abilities, and high general intelligence constitute the initial and most obvious comedic component. Overexcitabilities or sensitivities to energetic fluctuations constitute the second comedic component. The sensitivity and capacityt o be intensely stimulated, and to stay stimulated, provide fuel for the development of comedic genius.
Another component is the capacity for self-directed comedic growth, self-determination, and autonomy. Though admittedly, this component may not be present in all comedians.
The innate tendency to respond in a comedic manner to various forms of stimuli, both external and internal makes comedians superstimulatable and superexcitable. It means that comedians require less stimulation to produce a comedic response, and have a stronger and more lasting reaction to stimuli that evokes comedic thoughts.
There are five forms of comedic overexcitability: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. Each have a wide range of expressions. The forms of comedic overexcitability appear to be necessary - but not sufficient - raw material for advanced, multilevel comedic development.
Comedic overexcitability means that life is experienced in a manner that is deeper, more vivid, and more acutely sensed. This does not mean that one experiences more curiosity, sensory enjoyment, imagination, and emotion, it is just that the experience of living is perceived as funny in its complexity. Comedy is therefore a richly textured quality.
Comedic overexcitabilities impart an intense aliveness to those who experience them. They may be thought of as distinct modes of experiencing or as comedic channels through which the flow of color tones, textures, insights, visions, emotional currents and energies of experience connect cables that pull on funny strings embedded deep within the person. Rather than wearing rabbit ear antennas limited to local channels only, this comedic mindset has wifi-like abilities to connect with humor on a larger scale.
- Psychomotor - movement, restlessness, drivenness, and augmented capacity for being active, energetic, tuned in, and poised for humor
- Sensual - enhanced refinement and aliveness of sensual experience
- Intellectual - thirst for knowledge, discovery, questioning, love of ideas - especially funny ones - and theoretical analysis, search for truth
- Imaginational - vividness of imagery, richness of comedic association, facility for dreams, fantasies, and inventions, endowing tows and other objects with personality (animism), preference for the unusual and unique
- Emotional - great depth and intensity of emotional life expressed in a wide range of feelings, great happiness to profound sadness or despair, compassion, responsibility, self-examination
TABLE
PSYCHOMOTOR
Surplus of Energie
Rapid speech, marked excitation, intense physical activity (e.g., fast games and sports), word games (puns), pressure for action (e.g., organizing), marked competitiveness
Psychomotor expression of emotional tension
Compulsive talking and chattering, joking, impulsive actions, nervous habits (tics, nail biting), workaholism, acting out
SENSUAL
Enhanced sensory and aesthetic pleasure
Seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, hearing, delight in beautiful objects, sounds of words, music, form, color, balance
Sensual expression of emotional tension
Overeating, overindulgence, buying sprees, wanting to be in the limelight
INTELLECTUAL
Intensified activity of the Mind
Curiosity, concentration, capacity for sustained intellectual effort, avid reading, keen observation, detailed visual recall, detailed planning, tendency to parody situations
Penchant for probing questions and problem solving
Search for truth and understanding, forming new concepts, tenacity in problem solving, often times with the accompaniment of humorous devices
Reflective thought
Thinking about thinking, love of theory and analysis, preoccupation with logic, moral thinking, introspection (but without self-judgment), conceptual and intuitive integration, independence of thought (sometimes very critical), thinks about humor
IMAGINATIONAL
Free play of the imagination
Frequent use of image and metaphor, facility for invention and fantasy, facility for detailed visualization, poetic and dramatic perception, animistic and magical thinking
Capacity for living in a world of fantasy
Predilection for magic and fairy tales, creation of private worlds, imaginary companions, dramatization
Spontaneous imagery as an expression of emotional tension
Animistic imagery, mixing truth and fiction, elaborate dreams, illusions
Low tolerance for boredom
Need for novelty and variety
Feelings and emotions intensified
Positive feelings, negative feelings, extremes of emotion, complex emotions and feelings, identification with others' feelings, awareness of a whole range of feelings
Strong somatic expressions
Tense stomach, sinking heart, blushing, flushing, pounding heart, sweaty palms
Strong affective expressions
Inhibition (timidity, shyness), enthusiasm, euphoria, pride, strong affective memory, fears and anxieties, feelings of guilt, concern with death
Capacity for strong attachments, deep relationships
Strong emotional ties and attachments to persons, living things, places, attachments to animals, difficulty adjusting to new environments, compassion, responsiveness to others, sensitivity in relationships, loneliness
Well-differentiated feelings toward self
Inner dialogue and self-judgment
The comedic experience tends to be of a much richer quality for those predisposed to it because so much more detail, texture, contrast, and distinction come into awareness. When emotional, intellectual, sensual, and comedic energies meet, there's no telling what will come out.
Comedy completely depends on imagination to enable the inspiration, invention, and construction of new possibilities. Boredom is anathema; the need for novelty is absolute. The underlying dimensions of thinking outside the box, the urge to create beauty, the push for stark realism, and the unrelenting striving for truth, justice, and humor is innate.
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