#comm theory

[comm-360-project-blog]

Little Miss Sunshine is the perfect depiction of the Interactional View Theory.     Paul Watzlawick describes how relationships within a family system are interconnected and highly resistant to change. Communication among members has a content component and a relationship component that centers on issues of control. The system can be transformed only when members receive outside help to re frame their meta communication.  Meta-communication, meaning communication about communication. This film depicts a family who try to tiptoe around each other while simultaneously intentionally step on eachother’s toes. Richard, the father of Olive and Dwayne is obsessed with the idea of winning, while somehow is only capable of losing at his own game. In order to play the family’s “game” there are a lot of rules at stake. First, no one should pressure Dwayne to talk due to his oath of silence inspired by Frerich Nietzche and his passion for joining the air force. Uncle Frank, a suicidal, unemployed, gay man must obey the rules of the dysfunctional family due to his suicide attempt and is forced to be kept under watch of his family. The rules of this family mainly revolve around keeping quiet about financial issues, the heroin addiction that Grandpa poorly hides from his family, but the main game, is get Olive to the beauty pageant. Olive, a sweet overweight girl who does not fit the stigma of classic “pageant” girls, refuses to believe that she is worth any less than the contestants she is competing with. The family, knowing her odds of winning are slim, they continue to support her and keep the worms in the can by avoiding the truly rooted issues that this family endures but is not discussed. Relationships in any family struggle with the family homeostasis, or remaining the status quo. I wanted to analyze an extreme example of a dysfunctional family for this part of my project. If you haven’t already, this movie deserves a watch. What type of games do you play in your family? What happens if you don’t play the game that your family plays? What are the consequences?

[francesblooms]

Burke’s Dramatism

Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

Kenneth Burke states that the motivating factor for human drama is ‘guilt’, which is the central concept of this theory: specifically, the guilt-redemption cycle, consisting of motive, mortification, and victimage. The theory is called ‘Dramatism’ because our lives are as if set on stage, with us individuals as actors. This is the particular perspective used in the theory to clearly understand human motives and reasoning behind the things we do, why we blame ourselves, and other people in certain situations.

I was able to experience the guilt-redemption cycle countless times without my knowledge. For instance, my motive was to finish editing a video for school, to be submitted the following day. There were still a few things that needed to be polished on the video, and I was going to start early in the evening as planned, but a close friend called (which is a wrong timing), insisting me to accompany her to an event, with the reason that she didn’t really know anyone there. I tried to refuse because I knew I had to prioritize my task for school, but she told me it wasn’t going to last for more than an hour.

I knew what it felt like to be alone in an event without anyone to comfortably interact with, and the close friend who called always accompanied me in my lakads whenever I needed her, and so I obliged upon her insistence. I kept in mind that the event wasn’t going to last long, that I would go back in my seat to finish my schoolwork in no time. Hence, I turned off my computer and got dressed.

I met with my friend at the entrance of the event, where she hugged me with relief. Upon stepping inside the venue, I saw a few familiar faces from my school. Time ticked by faster than I expected, probably because I was having fun – with the tasty food, upbeat music, and friendly people. I was getting carried away, forgetting the fact that I was supposed to be doing my schoolwork and not hang around there for hours. Before I knew it, it was close to midnight.

Upon heading home, I was tired and wanted to sleep more than anything. However, I knew I had to be quick and resume editing. I started to blame myself for saying ‘yes’ to my friend and risked abandoning my schoolwork to have fun, when I shouldn’t have. In the guilt-redemption cycle, this part is the mortification process.

While editing at past midnight, I was moody and extremely drowsy. I was frustrated and began to blame my friend. ‘I probably would already be resting at this time if she had not called me’, were my thoughts. This part is referred to as the victimage process – when you blame others for what should have been your responsibility.

[francesblooms]

Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence

By Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

In my circle of friends, we always make it a point to prepare surprises for each other whenever our birthdays are approaching. This thoughtful gesture is done to express our love and appreciation for one another. Take for example, while planning for the upcoming celebration of one of our friends around two years ago, our conversation running smoothly whilst talking about our presents and simple surprise — I had an idea, which is — to ask our celebrant's Internet friend from across the country to create a short, meaningful video delivering his greetings and wishes. My friend and the guy he met online was really nice, and they would always talk about their days and daily experiences, among others, which is why I thought it’d be nice to have him say his birthday greetings for our friend. I was certain it'd complete her day.

Once I finished suggesting my idea to the rest of my friends, they immediately squealed in excitement, looking at each other with enthusiasm. They all agreed and we decided to push through the additional plan, not just stopping with the usual gift-giving and food-preparing. We all knew that our upcoming celebrant would be surprised and happy with the little surprise we were planning to pull off, especially since they were extremely close, regardless of the fact that they haven't met in person.

Ernest G. Bormann, originator of Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) and its attendant method, fantasy theme analysis, both explore how the sharing of narratives or “fantasies” can create and sustain group consciousness. For Bormann, these communal narratives encourage group cohesion and foster the development of a shared social reality among group members. 

While Bormann’s initial conception of symbolic convergence stemmed from his research of small group communication, he argued that group consciousness can occur at any level of communication, from within small groups to mass media. Thus, he identified symbolic convergence as a general theory of communication. Bormann applied symbolic convergence theory and fantasy theme analysis to a variety of topics and issues, such as inaugurals, campaigns, and even political cartoons. In addition, he published several books addressing a range of topics, from interpersonal and small group communication to speech communication. 

In the example I provided above, my simple idea of adding a little twist to our birthday surprise stemmed into a huge, interesting one, forming into a “fantasy theme” because once I shared my proposition to my friends, they all knew what I was thinking — that our friend would find our additional surprise unexpected and will surely appreciate it. Hence, my little idea became a “fantasy chain” since the rest of the group accepted my suggestion and were more than eager to push through it.

[francesblooms]

Hirokawa & Gouran's Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making

By Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

As a Communication student, one central, essential part of our studies include group tasks and projects. Hence, teamwork and unity are two important keys in order to achieve success with our endeavors.

For instance, our documentary during freshman year was a huge success — we were able to attain outstanding results because our group was able to incorporate ideas altogether, making sure to analyze our planned topic which was proper waste disposal.

During our group meeting, we were able to establish goals and propose possible solutions with regards to our chosen problem. Irresponsible garbage disposal is an underlying issue in our society, thus, our group decided to gather information around Batac and Laoag's dumpsites to dig deeper and collect relevant data.

After the planning stage, we divided our group into two teams — one assigned in Batac Public Market, while the other one in Laoag's Dumpsite. We scheduled our shoot and proceeded as planned. We interviewed individuals in charge of waste management, and asked vendors if they knew of the 3R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

After our tiring but productive shoot, we compiled and edited our video. It was our finals week and there were numerous schoolworks piled up and yet to be finished, but with time management and cooperation, I was able to finish editing the video, with the help of another teammate.

With a huge relief, our Professor was impressed with our final output and gave us uno (A) as a final grade.

Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran's Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making states that group interactions have a positive effect on final decisions. The term “functional perspective” is used to describe and predict performance when certain criteria for communication functions are attained.

According to the theory, the requirements below must be fulfilled in order to achieve an effective decision:

• Analysis of the problem

• Goal setting

• Identification of alternatives

• Assessment of positive and negative attributes

With the experience I shared, our group was able to evaluate the problem firsthand and encompass our ideas altogether; construct criteria and propose solutions; provide options in the event of needing one; and evaluate the relative merits of each alternative — which therefore resulted to the triumph of our project. Yes, there were a few disagreements here and there, but we knew we had to settle each of these bumps in order to truly achieve harmony and success.

[francesblooms]

Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance

By Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

I always found it hard to reject people and things. One time, a close friend asked me to accompany her on a mutual friend's birthday party. Since I was in the mood the day she called, I said yes. However, when the time finally arrived, I felt like staying home. I wasn't in the mood to go out and mingle with others. I wasn't certain on what to tell my friend and she was highly insistent, bombarding me with calls and messages. Hence, I didn't have any choice but to attend the party.

Similar situations followed. I would end up not refusing for the sake of not disappointing people, and after numerous repetitions, I got fed up of the attitude. It was exhausting living up to people's expectations. I knew something was wrong. I knew I had to change something about myself.

Slowly, I learned how to say no to things I didn't really like, or can't do. A friend once asked me to create a composition for him since he wasn't good at it, but I couldn't fit it in my schedule since it was our midterms week. On a regular day, I would have said yes and tried my best to write one; however, at that time, I finally spoke my mind and became straightforward. Unexpectedly, it went quite smoothly. My friend understood my side and did not pressure me. That was when I realized — I do not owe anyone anything. I am not obligated to say yes if I don't want to, and saying no shouldn't even be an issue.

As days, weeks, months passed, I gradually reduced the 'can't-say-no' attitude. It was extremely refreshing. I no longer needed to force myself to do things for people. I was only being my genuine, authentic self and that was the goal I never knew I needed.

Cognitive Dissonance was first investigated by Leon Festinger, stating that there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (i.e., beliefs, opinions). Therefore, when there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance.

In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior. There are three ways to eliminate dissonance: (1) reduce the importance of the dissonant beliefs, (2) add more consonant beliefs that outweigh the dissonant beliefs, or (3) change the dissonant beliefs so that they are no longer inconsistent.

In my case, I chose to change the dissonant belief that I always had to be accomodating to close friends and other people, in order to avoid disappointments and refusals. Hence, my behavior became more consistent as I eliminated the said notion.

[francesblooms]

Cacioppo & Petty’s ELM

By Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

Undeniably, online shopping has become a huge trend and necessity nowadays, and is of utmost importance to individuals who do not have the luxury of time to shop for clothes and other everyday needs in physical malls and stores. In other words, it is extremely convenient, requiring only a few clicks on our mobile or computer screens, and voila! — the only thing we have to do is wait for our desired product to be delivered in the comfort of our homes, minus the hassle of shopping in actual stores.

Personally, I find online shopping highly useful whenever I come up with things that I need to buy, whether for personal or gift use. When I first encountered online stores and applications, I admittedly got addicted and constantly clicked the “add to cart” button whenever I spotted a product that caught my eye. I wasn’t really aware of the risks online shopping might pose before, such as — the actual item might be different from the photo presented, the sizes might not be that accurate, or there may be a defect on the product. Hence, on the first few weeks, I became an impulsive buyer, not thinking twice before placing my orders.

A year later, I became more cautious and practical when shopping online. Of course, I’ve had my fair share of failed transactions and frustrating moments whenever a seller sends the wrong item or size, among others. Therefore, I slowly learned my lesson and at present, I make sure to think twice, read reviews, and examine each product I am planning to buy before starting any transaction. I ask myself, “Do I need it? Is the price reasonable or worth it? Am I going to use it in the long run? Should I just buy it on a physical store?” before finalizing any orders.

Developed in the mid-1970s by the co-founder of the field of social neuroscience, John Cacioppo, and Richard Petty, a distinguished psychology professor at Chicago University, the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) seeks to elucidate how humans process stimuli differently and the outcomes of these processes on changing attitudes, and, consequently, behavior.

The ELM states that when a persuader presents information to an audience, a level of “elaboration” results. Elaboration refers to the amount of effort an audience member has to use in order to process and evaluate a message, remember it, and then accept or reject it. 

Particularly, the ELM has determined that when facing a message, people react by using either of two channels (but sometimes a combination of both, too), reflecting the level of effort they need. As such, they either experience high or low elaboration, and whichever of these will determine whether they use central route processing — paying attention to central or essential details, or peripheral route processing — referring to individuals who allow themselves to be influenced by things that aren’t really important, paying attention to peripheral details.

In my example, I was able to apply peripheral route processing when I first started online shopping. I made browsing online stores a habit, impulsively buying things that weren’t even necessary. I didn’t think twice and let myself be swept by temptations. However, I was able to use central route processing once I encountered mistakes and failures with my online transactions. Hence, I began to think more practically; concentrating on buying things that I really needed, rather than spontaneously investing my money on products without a second thought.

[francesblooms]

Sherif's Social Judgment Theory

By Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

One of my high school friends, named Judy, absolutely loved matcha, may it be as a cake flavor, dessert add-on, ice cream ingredient, or just plain green tea. She also talked about it a lot, which gave me immense curiosity on how it tasted like, because I was never really a fan of the said flavor. I was more into vanilla and ube halaya, not really interested to explore other options, but since she kept on insisting me to taste it myself, I decided to try it with her one afternoon, choosing matcha as my ice cream flavor at a nearby stall.

Once I got my order, I looked at the appearance of my matcha sundae. To be honest, it didn't look very enticing. However, Judy was looking at me expectantly, so I didn't hesitate any longer and finally gave it a taste.

Unfortunately, I didn't like it. It just wasn't something I would consider buying again. I'm not quite sure if it's the pinch of bitterness that stayed in my mouth, or if it's the aftertaste of the flavor, but anyhow, we all have our own sets of preferences, and matcha just isn't included in mine.

Judy seemed to notice my disappointment, but she asked me what I thought, anyways. I told her, "It tastes okay... but not, like, really great if I'm going to be honest."

She wasn't too happy with my feedback, but I offered her to finish the sundae for me, so everything was well afterwards.

Constructed by Muzafer Sherif, Social Judgment Theory explains how individuals weigh new ideas. Whenever we are approached with a new message, we connect it with our present point of view to determine how we feel about it. It is a subconscious process, occuring at the instance of perception.

Also playing a role in this theory is ego involvement – referring to how much of our own self-esteem is invested into a particular topic. The level of our ego involvement towards a particular issue depends on the intensity of our attitude aroused by the topic. If we are open-minded about an issue, we tend to have low ego involvement, enlarged latitudes of acceptance and non-commitment, whereas if we have wide latitudes of rejection, we tend to have high ego involvement.

In the situation I cited above, my high school friend got disappointed upon discovering that I didn't like matcha, her favorite flavor, because the way I reacted after tasting it exists within her latitude of rejection.

Anyhow, the theory also states that when we receive a new message that lands within our latitude of acceptance, we will subsconsciously adjust our beliefs in order to accommodate the novel perspective.

[francesblooms]

Waltzwick's Interactional View Theory

By Nicole Frances Yapo, BA Comm II ☽

Growing up with a skin condition, my parents would sometimes argue about my allergy triggers and proper treatment. My Mom, who is highly concerned with what I eat, as well as the environment I am exposed to, would at times be opposed by my father, who wants me to at least try and eat small amounts of food my Mom restricts me to eat, such as chicken, squash, eggs, among others.

With regards to my treatment, my Dad is highly against steroid injections and medicines because of its risky side effects. My Mom, on the other hand, wants to control my flare-ups as much as possible, which is why, even if it’s against her will, would take me to my dermatologist for a triamcinolone injection whenever my skin would get extremely bad, mainly because it’s the only option I have during severe flare-ups. This treatment heals my rashes in a span of three days, but could potentially affect my bones in the future if not prevented with regular exercise.

Anyway, my Dad’s point is the fact that I am deprived from so many things, which is why, from time to time, he wants me to try small amounts of food I can’t eat. He also wants me to go to the beach at times (I am not allowed to swim in saltwater under the sun, but I can go for a night swimming for a limited time) and, generally, enjoy what life has to offer, so as long as I’m aware of my limitations and look after my health at all times.

My Mom’s point, meanwhile, is to prevent my skin condition, atopic dermatitis, from becoming much worse, which is why she monitors the food I eat, as well as the places I go (she wants me to avoid high exposure from pollution, pollen, and dust, among others). She often tells me she’s strict with my diet and outdoor exposure only because she doesn’t want me to suffer much more, especially if my skin flares up and topical creams/oral medicines are no longer enough to soothe my skin.

Paul Waltzwick’s Interactional View Theory, a concept of social interaction focusing on dysfunctional patterns in families, pays specific attention to questions of control, status, and power. In addition, the theory claims that families are highly resistant to change, such as when a family member is stuck between competing expectations.

According to Waltzwick, change for the family will come when family members step outside the system, also referred to as “reframing”, or the process of establishing change by stepping outside of a situation and reanalyzing what it means. It is also the sudden “aha” of looking at things in a newfound light.

In the situation I cited above, my parents could reframe or look at the scenario in a different picture by, first, accepting the fact that my skin condition is a chronic one and there’s no point arguing about it, primarily because it has already been a part of me since I was born.

Moreover, since there is no cure at the moment, they can only manage it by helping me, the carrier of the condition, handle it positively and patiently, and continuously remind me to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sure, I can go to the beach and travel at times, like my Dad wants me to, but it should be in moderation. Furthermore, my skin must be in stable condition before I can start exploring places or things. Lastly, they should listen intently to each other’s sides in order to truly understand both perspectives, and be able to come to a mutual conclusion on what’s truly best for me.