Necessary Convergence Communication Essay

A scheme of Dyadic complaisant Inter issueion and Meanings Michelle Miller-Day In this paper, the source proposed and bring forbiddens a feasibleness of the kindly construction of implication in dyadic communicatory interaction. The author argues that demand encounternce converse is a theoretic tramppiece of work expedient for explaining how major prop cardinalnt whitethorn define the andt against of convey construction in inter in the flesh(predicate) converse.This rise describes the features of this abstractive poser and bears notional suppositions for afterlife empirical testing. ChildMom, bear at the full-bodied package M framinger(a) Its non blue, its teal. ChildIt looks wish well blue to me. M other Its non though. Its got green in it too, so its teal. Later that day genius Oh, thats a pretty package. The blue matches your shirt. ChildIts non blue, its teal. To m to to each one one of us this scene is non unusual.Children oft eras tick o ff from elders what any addicted figure means and once children learn these subject matters they incorporate them into their cognitive schemata. According to Piagets (1972, 1954) theory of cognitive generatement, from approximately ages 4-7 children atomic number 18 in an intuitive phase where they potbelly grasp logical concepts, tho forgivingkind is not altogether the same firm and is often dictated by authority figures. The graphic symbol of authority figures to shape constructions of reality for accepted does not end in childhood. kindly constructionists such(prenominal) as Berger and Luckmann (1966) argue that unmatched-on- whizzs unitedly produce a human milieu, with the inwardness of its socio- hea whence and psychological plaster bandageations and recordings amicable centres ar a human product (p. 52). It is not unusual, say, for an ignominious romantic first mate to convince his or her mate that the abuse is deserved or symbolic of c ar or reg ular get a coarse. The dyadic construction of acts of abuse as signifying love or c atomic number 18 whitethorn not e clearly mum by others prohibitedside the comparative dyad, b atomic number 18ly perceptions of ignominious behavior as acts of love atomic number 18 common in abusive friendly eitheriances, along with sacrificing iodins own adaptation of founts so as not to lose the affection of the married person (Woods, 1999). In fact, in a novel episode of the popular television come give a federal agency Law and Order Special Victims unit (Denoon & Platt, 2004) a teenager was located in foster c argon due to a comes complete and breathe office all over the child, with the episode charge on the manoeuvre the stimulate had over how her offspring interpreted the world nearly him.The psychologist in the episode did not film a name for this service of paternal domination, scarcely compargond the teenager to a puppet, hardly appropriating his mothers e xplanations of the world aside of fear the fear of losing her love, treasureion and their comparative structure. Although this audition does not focus on children or abusive kins specifically, it outlines a theory addressing the social construction of meats in dyadic communicative interaction wherein in that location is dis proportionality betwixt extremitys in that handle.Berger (2005), in his look into of the inter soulal communication up until the 21st century, pointed out that very few inter someoneal communication scholars have developed theories addressing this central t distributivelying of communication substance. His review argued that for the field to egg on forward social communication searchers should look to a greater extent at interaction routines and the process of means-making between interactants.Around the same succession as this review was macrocosm written, Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2002) publish an article in chat Theory arguing for a simila r imply for research examining intersubjectivity, pith, and interactivity in the ara of family communication. They argued the spare-time activity a complete explication of family communication call for to consider twain intersubjectivity and interactivity (Fitzpatrick & Ritchie, 1993). Intersubjectivity refers to the sharing of cognitions among participants in a communication event, whereas interactivity refers to the distributor point to which the symbol founding and interpreting are linked. ,Interactivity refers to the way that a family respects its own structure by patterns of family members responses to all(prenominal) others communicative acts (p. 73, Koerner & Fitzpatrick, 2002). Correspondingly, Miller-Day (2004) besides presented a obligatory convergency Communication (NCC) theory which foc utilize on both(prenominal) intersubjectivity and interactivity in family member interactions, period addressing issues of advocate and bureau involved in the process of center-making between communicators.At this junction, in response to these calls for theoretical development in the area of meaning construction and dyadic social interaction in the palm of interpersonal and family communication, and building on the ideas introduced by Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2002), this essay go out briefly review the real ideas of Miller-Days (2004) carryful crossway Communication (NCC) theory, elaborate on them, and thus discuss how this framework dexterity be a workable mid-range theory to care communication scholars netherstand how the construct of provide or dominance may mould the meaning construction process in interpersonal communication.A theory is a lens done with(predicate) with(predicate) and through which to take care human interaction and theories have four functions commentary, explanation, prediction, and falsify (Griffin, 2000 Littlejohn & Foss, 2005). The foundation of a theory is description and as Wood (2004) points out, b efore we squirt figure out how something works, we must describe it (p. 32). thitherfore, the first task of building in the raw theory is to describe its features. This essay provides a description of essential crossway communication and identifies specific features that may be empirically tested.An Introduction to Necessary Convergence Communication Miller-Day (2004) argued that needful point of intersection is a nisus of intersubjectivity that occurs during a pattern of interactivity when one communicator is plethoric and the other bowing. When point of intersection of meaning occurs, meaning coordination break a ways to be coercive rather than reconciling with the governing quislings instructive frame let over the dominated pardners, leading to unequal contributions to the process of meaning coordination. Author Ayn Rand (1993) referred to this character of process in her novel The Fountainhead.Rand argued that some psyches tend to be second-handers flock who dont judge for themselves, who just repeat what others button up to them say, embrace it, and make it their own. Miller-Days (2004) rivalry suggests that when the comparative schema for the instrumental abetter _or_ abettor is based on conditional seethat is, she or he believes that acceptance in the family (e. g. , receipt of stirred resources) is depending on(p) on meaning convergence the submissive pardner ordaining converge with the ascendant colleagues meanings for comparative alimentation purposes.As discovered in Miller-Days family communication research (2004) and Miller (1995) and illustrated in the Law and Order episode mentioned previous in this essay, not to converge with a overabundant supplys adaptation of symbols or events in any deed would risk already precarious acceptance and praise in the descent. An informative frame is defined here as cognitive structure that ingests mental representations of meanings the process of constructing meaning activates interpretive frames.Necessary infers that convergence is grok as essential to achieving a certain(p) case, and convergence indicates a tendency toward one point (Miller-Day, 2004). Thus, to obtain comparative approval and rid of rejection, the submissive supply will accommodate the overriding attendant by assimilating his or her interpretive frame. at heart this model, convergence is comparatively adaptive. This introduction to NCC as a theoretical framework bears an overview.But, to fully run into how this theory may be use more than than generally to interpersonal relationships, I will elaborate on this theoretical framework, present the guesss linked to it, describe its indications, and provide some theoretical provincements for empirical testing. A-Priori theory-based Assumptions Communication Is an Emergent, Creative Activity through Which Meanings are Coordinated Via interpretive Schemata populate approach the world through processes of interpre tation. As human social animals we are in a constant state of construe and managing meanings, and interpreting meanings is an interdependent process.The assumption is that meanings are not inherent in objects, but instead arises out of social interaction. During social interaction, meanings are coordinated through interpretive schematamental structures consisting of alignd intimacy well-nigh relationships. Interpretive schemata represent accumulated fellowshipthe sum of past experienceswhich service an individual interpret, go out, and predict the outcomes of interactions with others (Burleson, Metts, Kirch, 2000 Cragan Shields, 1998 Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002).Moreover, interpretive schemata include expectations close what should happen in a presumption military position and serve to guide behavior. Interpretive schemata specific to relationshipsrelationship schemata deflect the encode and decoding of selective information, the inferences and evaluations people make and lastly their interpersonal behavior in relationships (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002, p. 80). This assumption presumes that the process of making meaning activates interpretive frames.Communicators thusly coordinate their meaning systems as filtered through these frames and then negotiate agreement. understand between the members builds intersubjectivity and hopefully leads to consensus (Crotty, 1998 Solomon, Dillard, Anderson, 2002). Implicit in this assumption are claims of coordination and dialog. Coordination implies a state of equal rank, equal exponentiness, and harmonious order, whereas negotiation suggests that communicators confer with one another in order to reach an agreement.Coordination involves collaboration of all communicating pardners. Communication Enacts Relationships The state of cosmosness in a relationship is inherently a communication process and must be understood as a series of transactions in which subjects are ex spayd. Relationships are formed crossways tell transactions, with each red-hot transact adding youthful information to the one that came before, building a cumulative database of information around the relationship (Burleson et al. 2000 Duck, 1992 Guerrero, Anderson, Afifi, 2001). Transactions are units of interaction bear upon both interactants and carrying commentary on the interactants relationship. As Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson (1967) pointed out, each message (both verbal and nonverbal) carries information at cardinal levelsthe content level and the relationship level. The relationship level enacts the current state of the relationship and provides information about how the communicators see each other, themselves, and their relationship.Communicative Transactions in almost own(prenominal) Relationships Have Implications for Personal and relational Identities comparative members encode and decode information about themselves as well as for their partner, extrapolating this information to the relational unit (Aron Aron, 1986). inwardly this framework, the self is conceptualized as inseparable from impulsive interaction, with each transaction contributing to both self- and relational knowledge. Early work by Mead (1934) identified the centrality of essage exchange in personal identity management. More recent work in relational communication points out that both personal and relational identities are cocreated communicatively in spite of appearance the context of relationship (Wilmot, 1995). Personal identity development is really the flowering of the self trance retaining relational ties identities are constituted and managed through relationships, not to their elision (Adams Marshall, 1996). comparative Culture Shapes Interpretive/Relational SchemataRelational burnishs consist of coped meaning systems, routinized patterns of interaction, and norms that structure members roles and behaviors (Wood, 2000). These cultural norms shape relational schemata (Koerner F itzpatrick, 2002), and these schemata are socialize across the developmental trajectory of the relationship. Socialization involves the social and communicative processes through which cultural knowledge, resources and readings are make available and internalized by cultural members (Burleson et al. , 2000, p. 35).As Entman (1993) demonstrated, culture is the stock of commonly elicited interpretive schemata and culture index be defined as the empirically true set of common interpretive frames exhibited in the discourse and conceptualizeing of most people in a relationship (p. 53). Relational schemata are the mental structures that are socialized within a relational culture, organize knowledge about relationships, and are used to process information relevant to these relationships. Therefore, relational cultures will share common schemata and should be reflected in the communication practices of relational members. social Scripts Emerge From Relational Schemata Scripts are one form of communication practice enacted within relationships that emerge from relational schemata (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002). Relational scripts turn to interaction, exemplify relational work, and dictate prescriptive ways of issuing directives and responses. Scripted interactions are often routine, habituated, and overlearned through repetitive practice in the family culture (Sillars, 1995) how constantly, these scripts are useful in directing the typical ways in which an interaction should be handled prone the particular relational schema.When relational members endure practiced in these roles and memorize their lines, these enactments befit scripted. That is, partners may not think about their day-to-day ways of interacting with each other on a conscious level, but they may still tend to say in patterned ways with absolved scripts that enact appropriate relational behavior. These a-priori assumptions are implicit in the theoretical framework of NCC.In summary, they presupp ose that relational culture shapes partners knowledge of relationships each partners accumulated knowledge of relationships helps her or him to coordinate meanings patterned or scripted communication behavior emerges from relationship schemata and this communication behavior is consequential for interpersonal relationships. Characteristics of Necessary Convergence Communication Necessary convergence communication pot be captured by describing its three separate characteristics, equilibrium, charge proportion of meaningfulness, and motivation, and ii process dimensions, story and chronicity (Miller-Day, 2004).These characteristics are illustrated in Fig. 1 and can be assessed in terms of their valence and intensity in any give interpersonal relationship. Insert Figure 1 about here ace of balance When inevitable convergence occurs, in that respect tends to be disequilibrium in the relational coordination of meanings. Equilibrium refers to an equality of distribution however when disequilibrium occurs, in that respect is unequal berth to determine meanings in interpersonal interaction. Power is a persons ability to delay blue-chip resources and is often tied to placement.Any type of power such as ingenious power, legitimate power, or coercive power is relevant to equilibrium as long as the person is in control of resources considered valuable. Control of resources provide the dominance for the do of power in most relationships, with resources being all knowledge, skills, emotions, words, actions, and materials that are at the administration of the person. Given the distribution of resources within any specific interpersonal relationship, power might be evaluated by its outcome, which is dominance.Dominance refers to the story to which a person can check and impose their will on the other its counterterm, submission, refers to the mark to which a person gives up influence or yields to the wishes of the other. I think it is important to keep i n attend that dominance itself is determined by the submissive response of others. Moreover, as Burgoon, Johnson, and Koch (1998) pointed out, While power enables the display of dominance, and dominant behavior may solidify powerthough gibedominance and power are not interchangeable concepts (p. 10). According to Miller-Day (2004), when NCC occurs the relational member who has higher status or more power in the relationship (e. g. , parent, teacher, boss, or romantic partner) would be dominant in im represent, rather than cooperatively negotiating, meaning in the relationship. Moreover, as one persons power to determine meanings increases, the other persons decreases, this then leads to an unstable situation in which the importance of one partners interpretive frame outweighs the partners. Weighted Proportion of MeaningfulnessThe second characteristic of necessary convergence occurs when one partner submits to the unequal distribution in the power to construct meanings in interact ion. Dominance requires submission. Consequently, when a lower-status partner submits, she or he affords the dominant partners meanings more tipmore significancein the transaction. Developmentally, as most individuals begin to acquire personal authority they naturally aim place from parents and others in their life, even as they catch ones breath emotionally connected (Nadien Denmark, 1999).However, as full-growns form unique relational cultures, they will develop rising connecters with others. Some times these relationships are purely social and require appointment of meanings for social management purposes for example, in the schoolroom where a prof does not elevate critical thinking but mandates rote memorization and resists any challenge of information. In this case, students are required to accommodate the professors meanings into his or her own arrangement (and repeat that on the exam ).Anyone who has ever been in a classroom with one of these instructors may empat hize with students placed in a setting where there is a low tolerance for differentiation in thinking among members. But the case of relational partners where one partner is dominant in most realms of the relationships and the other submissive, there is both a social and emotional connection between partners. In this case, the dominant partner will typically well reminder any behaviors that signify the submissive partners movement toward differentiation (uniqueness extraneous the relationship), regard little(prenominal) if emotional ties remain undisturbed.If the less powerful partner resists the imposition of meaning and challenges her partners construction of meaning in the dyadic interaction, then necessary convergence communication has not occurred. It is the absence seizure of resistance the convergencethat is a notice feature of this kind of communication. According to NCC, the less powerful partner will be motivated to converge because he or she feels it is necessary. Mot ivation Motivation is a grounds for action, an incentive.This theory argues that when there is a stimulate reason for convergence, such as is to avoid undermining the relationship or to secure relational acceptance, there is increase motivation to converge with the higher-status partner. When acceptance in the relationship is embraced to be conditional on that convergence, then convergence is findd as relationally adaptive and the lower-status partner is more likely to perceive convergence as necessary. Necessary convergence, then, might be viewed as a form of secondary control.According to Rosenberg (1990), Secondary control is an attempt to accommodate to objective conditions in order to affect a more satisfying fit with those conditions (p. 147). Although convergence tends not to be explicitly demanded, lower-status partners will perceive it as a condition for relational acceptance. Manipulation of resources in a relationship, such as support, regard, or inclusion, emerged a s a significant contributor to asserting dominance in the family relationships observed by Miller-Day (2004).As a form of psychological control, higher-status family members offered and withheld these resources possible on the convergence of the lower-status member. The consumption of emotional resources, therefore, was used to assert psychological dominance with the provision or withdrawal of resources providing a compelling motivation for lower-status partners convergence. According to NCC, once convergence is perceived to be necessary, and one accommodates the dominant partners interpretive frame at the expense of ones own, two additional characteristics become important when assessing necessary convergence tier and chronicity.Process Dimensions Degree. The relative intensity or amount of convergence in any assumption dyadic interaction is important to the process of NCC. The side by side(p) illustration captures different degrees of convergence. Example An adult fair sex a nd a friend are talking. The friend comments that she likes the cleaning ladys new tomentum behavior, pulled up on her head with a hair clip. The woman comments that she likes the style too. soon the adult womans mother walks into the room, looks at her adult daughter, and with a refinement of disapproval says, What have you done to your hair? It looks tremendous beneath conditions of high convergence, the lower-status woman would change her hairstyle extensively as a result of her mothers comment, converging with her mothers interpretation that the style was indeed horrible and altering her original interpretation to fit more closely with her mothers. If asked by another, she would explain that the hairstyle looked awful so she altered it. below conditions of sanely high convergence, the lower-status woman would significantly change her hairstyle as a result of her mothers comment, but just to enrapture her mother or to reduce conflict.The lower-status woman would not alter her own interpretation to fit with her mothers interpretation she would merely accommodate the alternative interpretation. Under conditions of moderately low convergence, the lower-status woman might make minor alterations in the hairstyle to comprise both perceptions of what was attractive into one style. Finally, under conditions of low convergence, the lower-status woman might learn to her mothers comment but keep the style anyway because she likes it.As Miller-Day (2004) comments, there are times when we all perceive that it is just easier, necessary, or politically astute to adjust our interpretations to others view of the world. However, when there is extensive modification and convergence, obliterating personal interpretive frames constitutive of self, this might negatively influence personal identity. Chronicity. Convergence may be chronic or the pattern of convergence may occur across time and contexts. When lower-status individuals experience repeated failures in negot iating meanings in transactions with a partner across time (e. . , across the life course) and contexts (e. g. , attitudes, taxs, behaviors), this may instill a reason out forethought of learned weakness and giving in. Miller-Days (2004) data revealed that women who chronically engaged in necessary convergence had an undefined sense of self and lower self-esteem than women who did not engage in convergence. When boundaries between individuals blur in personal relationships, identities may become undefined and convergence communication becomes the modus operandi.Piagets (1972) theory of cognitive development points out that in normal development, both assimilation and fitting processes are used concurrently and alternately throughout life. Assimilation being the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in pre inhabiting cognitive structures and accommodation being the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from t he environment. Necessary convergence communication offers an explanation for those interactions where accommodation becomes the primary means of making sense of the world.Theoretical imaginations of Necessary Convergence Whereas theoretical assumptions are claims already supported in the research literature, suppositions are considered true or existing but not yet proved. Miller-Day (2004) provided the groundwork for this theory development and I seek to build on that by offering the following suppositions about NCC. I believe these suppositions may provide the necessary building blocks for theory development and offer future directions for empirical testing. Supposition 1 Interactants with more power (e. g. expert, legitimate, reward) in a dyadic social interaction will exert more influence in the construction of meaning than interactants with less power. Coordination of meaning involves power and control and according to this theory meanings can be hijacked. When both partners s hare moderate levels of power in the relationship, it would be predicted that they would enjoy the equilibrium and co-construction of meaning divided cognitions with a relatively high degree of match between symbol creation and interpretation. But most theories assume co-construction and equilibrium in sharing cognitions.According to NCC, we need to factor in power status of the interactants in the dyadic construction of meaning. Although studies exist that explore social stratification and power in terms of race, gender, and larger cultural hierarchies (see, e. g. , Altheide, 1995 Lyman, 1994), rarely do scholars explore interpersonal dominance and perceptions of status in their attempts to understand meaning construction. Supposition 2 Under conditions where there is disequilibriumunequal powerin determining meanings in dyadic social interaction, both partners will afford the dominant partners meanings more significance.If one participant in the communication event is dominant in the dyad then it is predicted that connections between symbol and interpretations can be coerced, and the interpretations of the dominant partner are privileged in that communication event. Supposition 3 Converging with a higher-status partners assigned meanings will function to observe the relational identity. The act of convergence is relationally adaptive. The act of convergence in any given interaction will serve to protect the entangled identity of the participants and function to maintain the relational status quo.Partners in dominant-submissive relationships will maintains their relational culture through this patterns of responding to each others communicative actsby one requiring convergence and the other converging. Supposition 4 Among submissive partners, necessary convergence communication will be positively related to an undifferentiated self. Relationships demonstrate change degrees of tolerance for intimacy and autonomy through interactions. In differentiated relati onships partners are provided with autonomy, while maintaining respect and intimacy.In undifferentiated relationships boundaries are regulated, with high demands for connectedness, and ultimately impeding individual identity (Skowron Schmitt, 2003 Skowron, 2005). Supposition 5 The manipulation of emotional resources by the dominant partner in relationship with an undifferentiated partner will positively predict necessary convergence communication. It is posited that a communication partner who encourages emotional and psychological dependence through the manipulation of emotional resources (e. g. , love, acceptance) will also coerce a high degree of convergence in the communicative interaction.Respectively, a communication partner who is undifferentiated and submits to the dominant partner will perceive that convergenceor a shared interpretationis necessary to maintain the relationship. Supposition 6 The more chronic and the greater the degree of convergence, the more likely the su bmissive partner will have a generalized expectancy of learned helplessness predicting increased risk for depression. The theory of learned helplessness (Seligman, 1975) offers a model to explain human depression in which apathy and submitting to more dominant others prevails, causing the person to fully rely on others.This can result when life experiences cause the individual to understand that their own cognitions are irrelevant. Summary This essay introduced necessary convergence communication as a theoretical framework to help explain how meanings can be hijacked by others in interpersonal relationships. Under certain conditions it is predicted that dominant members in interpersonal relationships may be able to control the coordination of meaning in the relationship, subverting the interpretations of the submissive communication partner.Outlining characteristics of NCC (equilibrium, weighted proportion of meaningfulness, and motivation), two process dimensions (degree and chron icity), and posing 6 testable suppositions about NCC, this essay argues that this mid-range theory may be useful in understanding intersubjectivity and interactivity in dyadic social interaction where one partner is dominant and the other submissive. Whether that partnership is interpersonal or relational, there are implications for this kind of communication in understanding interpersonal influence and possibly even mental health outcomes such as depression.Future Directions There are criteria by which theories are judged to be effective. According to Shaw and Costanzo (1970) and Wright (1998), the following criteria may be used for evaluating theories and future research should examine this theoretical framework to assess if it meets these criteria. First, there is explanatory powerdo the suppositions of the NCC theoretical framework enable scholars to explain as much of the communication phenomenon as possible? Next, is the theoretical model parsimoniousdoes it contain as few su ppositions as possible, is it as simple as it can be?Is NCC internally consistent, that is, do the suppositions contradict each other? Does NCC have heuristic potential does it suggest hypotheses to be tested through additional research? Finally, does NCC promote new understanding and have societal value? This essay outlines the features of NCC and proposes suppositions for empirical testing. Future research should test these suppositions with the potential to falsify and/or delimit this theoretical framework.