Spiral of Silence Theory applied to Ibsen

Dr. Stockmann’s opposition is best characterized by Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence Theory. Briefly, there are three categories that a person could fall into if their opinion deviates from what they perceive as the majority. The main category contains people whose opinions differ from the majority, they do not change their opinion, but they withdraw from public scrutiny by silencing and therefore censoring themselves. The motivation as described by Noelle-Neumann is fear of isolation. Avant-garde and hard-core are the other two categories; however these people do not conform. Avant-gardes are pushing forward, looking to the future, and they seek public response. Hard-cores hold beliefs that are out-of-date, but have a feeling of “nothing left to lose” so they continue in their conservatism.

Now tying into Ibsen: the norm as perceived by most townspeople is that the water is, as water should be, clean, pure, even worth marketing as such. Although easily interpreted as an opinion of the majority, it’s important to look at the source. In Spiral of Silence, mass media’s constant repetition of messages and single point of view catalyze the human tendency to “silence” oneself. Because mass media in Ibsen is on a different playing field than today, one must reconsider the source as bureaucratic elite, rather than media elite. Evidence of bureaucratic elite replacing mass media as the catalyst of silence is provided by Hovstad’s dialog in a number of instances, “[oligarchy of bureaucrats are] all rich, all with old reputable names, and they’ve got everything in the palm of their hands,” (44). Later he continues, “...when I took over the People’s Messenger I swore I’d blow that smug cabal of old, stubborn, self-satisfied fogies to bits,” (45).

Although the latter quote reveals Hovstad as an Avant-garde personality, it helps to characterize the opposition that he and Dr. Stockmann face. Hovstad’s description of the bureaucrats exemplifies Hard-core and People’s Messenger, the paper Hovstad runs, is not in combat against another form of media; instead, he challenges the bureaucrats, sensing them as the fulcrum for the Spiral of Silence. In a conspiracy vein of thinking, the bureaucrats disseminate the opinions and information that later translates into public opinion forming the majority and therefore the silenced majority as well. Without the majority following behind them, the bureaucrats are complete hard-cores, but because they have control and therefore support they are in the majority.

In conclusion, Dr. Stockmann and Hovstad, face an opposition ruled by an oligarchy of hard-cores, their out-of-date beliefs trickling down to the majority and poisoning them against change. The opposition is also the majority, the silenced, and the conformed; their norms of thought and action are fed to them by the bureaucrats. Dr. Stockmann and Hovstad represent the Avant-garde and seek public opinion in an effort to change it. With the exception of mass media, Ibsen has presented a model of Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence Theory.