Do you like traveling? Whether local or abroad? Do you like flying or riding a water vehicle to other islands, to other countries, to other continents? Or do you prefer more to catch a train, a bus, an FX, a taxi, a jeepney, a tricycle, even a pedicab; or to ride your own car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a skateboard, even a wheelchair; or to simply walk around, to explore your immediate surroundings? What pushes you to move from one location to another? If none of the aforementioned modes of transportation appeal much to you, how else would you like to move around? Or would you prefer to stay put where you are and not travel altogether? Why would you choose this option?
Answering the questions above puts you in a situation where you are unconsciously doing Causal Analysis. Causal Analysis means identifying the causes and effects of a particular situation, event, or phenomenon. It is born out of the inherent human characteristic of wanting to make connections and to understand reasons. A cause is what prompted something to happen. An effect is what was yielded after something else took place.
One practical application of Causal Analysis as a mode of paragraph development is a Problem-Solution type of paper. In this example, the problem is usually the cause and the solution the effect. In other instances, the problem could also be the effect of another event and/or the solution could be the cause of another. In either case, the situation can result to a causal chain in which multiple sets of cause and effect are somehow connected to each other.
On the situation of choosing whether or not to travel, answering the question “What pushes you to move from one location to another, or to stay put?” is analyzing the causes of your decision to travel. What you do after choosing to travel or to stay put, on the other hand, is analyzing the effects—or consequences—of your decision.
What is Causal Analysis?
Causal Analysis tackles the causes and effects of a particular event, phenomenon, or situation. It deals with the study of the relationship between or among at least two happenings.