Against Human Nature

Public relations at its best goes against human nature. That is what makes it such a challenge. Let me explain. It is human nature to act in our best interest. Even with the best of intentions, all of us generally spend our days doing what is best for us. For instance, we work to make money so we can buy food we need to eat, help take care of people we care about, and support causes that we believe in. Depending upon the circumstances, some of us even hire public relations professionals to help us carry out those efforts. Those communicators then put together plans or strategies to enable us to carry out needs and meet our needs in the most successful way they can.

Such a scenario, even though it does involve others, is about us as individuals. Thirty-four years ago two communication scholars, James Grunig and Todd Hunt, identified another type of public relations designed to foster collaboration and/or more successful interaction between folks. They called it the asymmetrical model of public relations as opposed to the symmetrical model which pertains more to the needs or wishes of one person. The asymmetrical model calls for individuals to put aside their own priorities and replace them with the priorities of them and another. Another way to put this is "the greater good."

I am not suggesting that people generally are not interested in interacting with others to make the world a better place. I believe they are. At the same time, people tend to approach such a hope from their own perspective. This goes back to human nature. The asymmetrical model is designed to move folks from doing what comes naturally to taking a step away from that and giving the needs, interests and perspectives of others equal footing. Doing that on a sustained basis is not easy for any of us. Inevitably, the question "What about me?" pops into our psyche. This, then, points to the reality of how complex public relations can be. It is also not surprising to know that the symmetrical model is a much more popular practice than the asymmetrical model.