Examples Of Expectancy Violations Theory
Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT) postulates that “humans have competing needs for personal space and for affiliation” (Dainton & Zelley, 2011), and as such it states that while we as humans need the close personal comfort and emotionally rewarding stimulus that social interactions with others provides, we also have an inherent need and desire for privacy and personal space. Additionally, EVT provides predictions and guidelines to describe how we react when our expectations are either met, or as the name implies, violated. Using the example of a manager who routinely invades personal space, either by putting a hand on a employees shoulder, or being very close while talking to them, we will attempt to explain how EVT is applicable in the scenario
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The first, which is expectancy, is also based on its own set of factors. The first of these sub factors is context; that is how the setting or situation in which the communication occurs influences an individual’s expectations for that communication. A pat on the back during a high stakes business meeting from the manager would bear incredibly different implications were the context of that interaction to change to a less formal setting such as a casual lunch. Since context forms some perception of expectancy, the existing relationship between the two communicating parties is another sub factor. In the situation with the manager, an employee who is best friends with the manager outside of work would have a different relationship basis for communication than that of a brand new employee who was on their first day of work. Relationship and context provide the basis of expectancy, but those expectations are also influenced by the personal traits and characteristics of the communicator. If the manager is well spoken and professional for example, their communication with employees would provide different expectations than if the manager were constantly swearing and carrying on conversations that would be considered inappropriate in the workplace (Lewis & Johnson, 2010). Combining the traits and characteristics of the communicator, in the light of the context and existing relationship with the recipient, the recipient forms an expectation for the communication that can either be violated or substantiated once communication
The first, which is expectancy, is also based on its own set of factors. The first of these sub factors is context; that is how the setting or situation in which the communication occurs influences an individual’s expectations for that communication. A pat on the back during a high stakes business meeting from the manager would bear incredibly different implications were the context of that interaction to change to a less formal setting such as a casual lunch. Since context forms some perception of expectancy, the existing relationship between the two communicating parties is another sub factor. In the situation with the manager, an employee who is best friends with the manager outside of work would have a different relationship basis for communication than that of a brand new employee who was on their first day of work. Relationship and context provide the basis of expectancy, but those expectations are also influenced by the personal traits and characteristics of the communicator. If the manager is well spoken and professional for example, their communication with employees would provide different expectations than if the manager were constantly swearing and carrying on conversations that would be considered inappropriate in the workplace (Lewis & Johnson, 2010). Combining the traits and characteristics of the communicator, in the light of the context and existing relationship with the recipient, the recipient forms an expectation for the communication that can either be violated or substantiated once communication