Communications Theories Paper

Communications Theories Paper

COM 310

March 14, 2011

The Universal Communication Law states that “All living entities, beings, and creatures communicate.” Communication is the process in which individuals utilize symbols to interpret and determine meaning in their environment. Communication includes both face-to-face and mediated communication. It takes place through movement, sounds, reactions, languages, etc. “Communication theory helps us to understand other people and their communities, the media, and our associations with families friends, roommates, co-workers, and companions (West & Turner, 2004). Theory is “an abstract system of concepts and their relationships that help us to understand a phenomenon (West, 2004). Three communication theories are Symbolic Interaction Theory, Social Penetration Theory, and Uncertainty Reduction Theory. Symbolic Interaction focuses on the relationships between symbols and interactions (West, 2004). The Symbolic Interaction Theory gives a reference to how people act and behave with symbolic meanings they find within given situations. The interactions with these symbols, in turn forms relationships around individuals. The overall goal of any interactions with one another is to create shared meanings toward objects, feelings, and each other. Some of the key points in the Symbolic Interaction Theory are as follows: individuals act toward each other based on the meaning and relationship those others have for them; meaning is created through the interactions individuals have in sharing personal interpretations of symbols; meanings are modified through a process of creating meaning and discussing it with others; self-concepts are developed through interactions with others; cultural and social processes influence individuals. Before myself, Erin didn’t have many best friends. When I told Erin that she was my best friend, we interpreted it differently. To me, it meant that I loved her like family, I could turn to her for anything at anytime, and that I shared everything with her. Erin took the term more lightly and thought it meant that we would just hang out often share some things with each other. Through a few arguments and long discussions, we came a similar meaning of what best friends meant. The communication here was effective in that we eventually came to have a similar meaning of a word. It could have been more effective if it was discussed at the beginning what each of us thought it meant. In the future, I will pay attention to how others act towards words and ask questions about their interpretations. When I was in junior high, the phrase “do you want to go out with me?” meant “do you want to be my girlfriend.” Because of our age and the fact that we didn’t drive, it was the junior high “universal meaning” of this phrase. However, when I reached high school, this changed. I had to learn to decipher when “let’s go out” meant hanging out outside of school as friends or dating. My interactions with people were key in developing these meanings. This communication was effective because I was able to obtain a similar meaning of what this phrase meant to others by utilizing symbols. This communication could have been more effective by using language to communicate what the phrase meant. When discussing an issue with a close friend of mine, we came to realize that we didn’t share similar beliefs about what marriage meant. She explained to me that because she came from a home where her parents fought and eventually divorced, she saw marriage as nothing more that a piece of paper. I explained to her that I saw marriage as a symbol to show your partner that you will always care and love them, no matter what. I shared with her the symbols that led me to that interpretation of marriage and she began to understand. The communication was effective in that we was able to accurately describe our meanings of marriage. It could have been more effective if we were able to visually see each others symbols that were used for interpretation. In the future I will better communicate by paying better attention to the symbols within the context and better utilize them. Social Penetration is the process of engaging oneself in communication with others to move a relationship from trivial to intimate. Intimacy does not necessarily mean physical intimacy, but may involve other areas such as intellectually, emotionally, and the extent in which a couple engages in activities. The process of social penetration includes verbal behaviors, nonverbal behaviors, and environmentally oriented behaviors. Social penetration goes through a number of stages. The orientation stage includes simple discussions and small talk. Exploratory affective exchange stage is when individuals begin to reveal small portions about themselves and develop a simple friendship with others. The affective exchange stage is when private and personal matters begin to be discussed more spontaneously and comfortably and may include intimate touching. The stable stage occurs when personal things are shared in complete openness. Finally, the depenetration stage is when the relationship begins to break down eventually leading to termination. There have been many instances where I was involved in social penetration. When I was in my early 20’s, I enjoyed going out on the weekends to meet new people and have a good time. On many occasions I would meet someone who I thought was interesting and start a conversation with them. The information that was exchanged during these conversations was that of every day talk such as, “Hi! What’s your name?” “How are you this evening,” etc. I was always careful about my body language, and the information that I gave away. One could say that I only revealed the top layer of my “onion”. Very few of these encounters actually led to any kind of intimate relationship. The communication, in regards to the orientation stage of the Social Penetration Theory, was effective in that I shared simple information in order to keep the conversations from ending. However, it could have been more effective if I would have discussed having more conversations at a later date, where more information about myself would have been disclosed. I feel as if I have come to communicate better in these situations by being more open to the possibility of future conversations. Social penetration also occurs on first dates. My friend decided to set me up on a date with someone she knew. We decided that we were going to go to dinner and maybe a movie. During the first hour or so, conversation was very simple. We discussed work, a few likes and dislikes, and what we would order for dinner. The conversation went well and we decided the movie was a good idea. We weren’t able to talk during the movie, but we sat close to each other showing some amount of comfortability. After the movie we decided to take a walk where the conversation got more intimate. By the end of the night, we were holding hands. We had reached the exploratory affective exchange stage. The communication was effective in that we both gave more information about ourselves as the night progressed. Communication could have been more effective if we had been more aware of how far we wanted the relationship to progress that evening and not rushed anything. In the future, I will be more aware of this and not get too intimate too quickly. Another instance where social penetration can be applied to my life is in based on my friendship with Scott. Scott and I met on the first day of Kindergarten. We had the same class and sat next to each other. First, it was a bit awkward because we were kids and had not really engaged in social interaction much at that point. However, after realizing that we rode the same bus home and lived two houses away from each other, our friendship was able to grow. By the time middle school arrived, Scott and I were completely open with each other and confided in each other about our home lives, fears, and who we were dating. Our friendship had reached the stable stage of social penetration. When it was time to decide what high school we wanted to attend, Scott and I chose different schools. Our friendship was able to progress through the first year of high school. However, we began living different lifestyles, started talking much less, and pushed away from each other. The depenetration process of our friendship began. Now, Scott and 6I barely talk, as we have gone our own ways. The communication during our friendship was very effective in that we both shared intimate details of our lives and opened up completely to one another. The communication during our high school years could have been more effective if we both could have made more of an effort to make sure we had time to talk to each other. I have definitely learned my lesson from this experienced and have not let another friendship fade away like the one I had with Scott. The Uncertainty Reduction Theory “explains how communication is used to reduce uncertainties between strangers engaging in initial interaction” (West, 2004). Uncertainty reduction follows a pattern involving developmental stages. The entry stage, or beginning stage is controlled by communication rules and norms and general demographic information, including but not limited to sex, age, and/or social status, is usually obtained. Once more personal information begins to be shared, the relationship enters the personal phase. In this stage, communication becomes more spontaneous and attitudes, beliefs, and values are shared. The exit stage is when an individual decides where to continue or terminate interaction in the future. How the relationship can grow and continue may also be discussed. The most common application of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory occurs when first meeting someone. When I first met my college roommate Cierra, it was a disaster. I didn’t know what it was like living with someone I didn’t know, and I was very secretive. We said, “hi,” but I didn’t allow the conversation to continue. After learning we had a few classes together, I started to discuss more with her and the uncertainty began to dissolve. All-in-all, she became a great roommate. The communication was effective when I began to talk to her more and dissolve the uncertainty I had towards her. It could have been more effective if I had initially asked questions and allowed for her to ask questions. In the future I will communicate differently by asking necessary questions for myself and asking if there are any I can answer for the other communicator. On the first day I started my new job, I was asked to sit with a group of co-workers at lunch. I was quite uncertain with this because I didn’t understand their motives and I didn’t know if they would like me once we started talking. However, I accepted the invitation. Learning that they only wanted me to feel welcomed, the uncertainty began to dissolve. By the end of lunch we all decided that we wanted to continue to build a relationship and get to know each other better. The communication was effective because I accepted the initial invitation and gave them a chance to help dissolve the uncertainty. The communication could have been more effective if they would have stated their motives in the the invitation. In future instances, I will not assume and instead ask questions. Uncertainty also occurs on a business level. When I first walked into a bank to get a loan, I was quite nervous. I needed the loan for a car and it was very important that I succeeded. Because I lacked financial credit history, the bank was very uncertain of my credibility. I began to present them with financial documents such as check stubs and bill payment histories. The bank was able to decide from that information whether to begin to dissolve the uncertainty and move forward with the loan or not give me the loan. My information was sufficient, and I was successful in getting the loan. As time progressed, I was able to further dissolve any uncertainty by showing that I was credit worthy. My bank and I now have a great financial relationship. My communication with the bank was effective because it helped in dissolving uncertainty they had in giving me a loan. It could have been more effective if I would have had credit history to show them. In the future, I can better communicate with the bank by showing them more information than what was previously available. Communication is all around us and can be very complex. It lets us understand one another and is necessary for life. Communication is the basis for building any kind of relationship, including friendships, work relationships, family relationships, and intimate relationships. Different types of communication theories help us understand how and why we form these relationships, therefore making it easier to understand ourselves.

References
West, R. & Turner, H. (2004). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application (2nd ed.). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

References: West, R. & Turner, H. (2004). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application (2nd ed.). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.