Exam 2 Flashcards
what is comparison level?
a standard representing what people feel they should receive in the way of rewards and costs from a particular relationship (ex: past experiences)
What is social penetration?
process of relationship bonding whereby individuals move from superficial communication to more intimate communication
what is comparison level for alternatives?
refers to the minimum level of relational rewards that an individual is willing to accept
-based on 2 criteria: rewards from alternative relationships or rewards from being alone
what is praxis?
humans are rational decision makers and the choices we make are influenced by 1. previous choices 2. choices of others and 3. cultural and social conditions
what is totality?
people in a relationship are interdependent
what happens to one person affects the other
social and cultural contexts like family and cultural norms that frame the relationship influence communication in the relationship
what is motion?
the changing nature of relationships over time
what are contradictions?
oppositions that are experienced in relationships
dialects are a result from contradictions
what is a collective boundary?
boundary around private information that includes more than one person
what is a personal boundary?
boundary around private information that includes just one person
what is boundary coordination?
how we manage private information that is co-owned
what is boundary linkage?
the connections that form boundary alliances between people
what is boundary permeability?
how much information can pass through the boundary
thick boundaries do not allow information to pass
thin boundaries allow all information to pass
what is the climate in which social penetration theory was developed?
during the 60’s and 70’s when being completely honest and candid was highly valued
what is the assumption about self disclosure in social penetration theory?
self disclosure can be either strategic or non strategic
stranger on a train is when people reveal private information in public places to complete strangers
what is breadth and depth of self disclosure?
breadth refers to the number of topics discussed in a relationshiop
depth refers to the degree of intimacy that guides topic discussions
what are the stage of social penetration?
orientation
exploratory affective exchange
affective exchange
stable exchange
what is the orientation stage in social penetration?
occurs at the public level, people are cautious about revealing too much information, behavior is guided by rules and norms
what is the exploratory affective exchange stage of social penetration?
communication becomes more spontaneous, private aspects of ones life becomes public, few relationships surpass this stage
what is the affective exchange stage of social penetration?
interactions are relaxed and casual, personal idioms (ways of expressing intimacy) are used
what is the stable exchange stage of social penetration?
communication is characterized by open expression of thoughts, feelings and behaviors which results in a high degree of spontaneity
dynamic uniqueness (humor, sarcasm) starts to emerge
few relationships reach this stage
outcome > CL > CLalt
satisfying and stable
outcome > CLalt > CL
satisfying and stable
CLalt> CL> outcome
unsatisfying and unstable
CLalt> outcome > CL
satisfying and unstable
CL > CLalt > Outcome
unsatisfying and unstable
CL > outcome > CLalt
unsatisfying and stable
what are the three exchange patterns?
given matrix
effective matrix
dispositional matrix
what is the given matrix
options available given internal and external factors
ex: personality and family influence
what is the effective matrix
represents the variety of alternative behaviors and outcomes that guide an individuals choice for behavior in the social exchange
(what you expected and what you have to match up)
what is the dispositional matrix?
how the rewards should be exchanged between two people
household duties and who pays when
what are exchange structures?
direct
generalized
productive
what is the direct structure?
when the 2 parties incur costs and rewards
what is generalized structure?
reciprocation involves the social network and isn’t confined to 2 individuals
what is productive structure?
both parties incur costs and benefits
what are the criticisms of social exchange theory?
testability- concepts of costs and rewards are not clearly defined
utility- views humans as rational calculators who have numerical representations for their life
scope- too narrow
what is the monologic approach to contradiction?
contradictions in a relationship are EITHER OR
what is the dualistic approach to contradiction?
contradictions are separate and unrelated to each other
the impulses exist but we don’t experience them at the same time
what is the dialectical approach to contradiction?
contradictions are BOTH/AND in nature
what are the assumptions of relational dialectics theory?
- relationships are not linear: individuals swing back and forth between contradictory desires
- relational life is characterized by change
- contradiction is the fundamental face of relational life
- communication is central to organizing and negotiating relational contradictions
what are the 3 basic dialectics?
- autonomy and connection
- openness and protection
- novelty and predictability
what is autonomy and connection?
we want to maintain our independence and fulfill our need for inlcusion
partners move between these 2 contradictions throughout a relationship
what is openness and protection?
be open, but maintain a sense of privacy
what is novelty and predictability?
comfort of stability but also the excitement of change
what are the 4 responses to dialectics?
cyclic alteration
segmentation
selection
integration
what is cyclic alteration?
choosing one of he opposites to feature at particular times
what is segmentation?
isolating separate areas of the relationship in which the tensions will be highlighted or emphasized
what is selection?
choosing one dialectic and ignoring the other
ex. choosing to be close and ignoring their need for autonomy
what is integration?
synthesis of the opposites
- neutralizing: arriving at a compromise between the opposite tensions
- reframing: transform the dialectic in some way to seem that it does not contain an opposition
- disqualifiying: neutralizes dialectical tension by eliminating or exemption certain issues from the general pattern of communication
what are the assumptions of communication privacy management theory?
- humans are choice makers
- humans are rule makers and rule followers
- humans’ choices and rules are based on a consideration for others as well as the self
- CPM is a dialectic theory
- relational life is characterized by change
- contradiction is the fundamental fact of relational life
what are the criticisms of communication privacy management theory?
it has logical inconsistency: there is disagreement over the use of the term dialectic
what are the assumptions of groupthink?
- associated with group communication
-problem solving groups and task orientated
groups - conditions in groups promote high cohesiveness
- group problem solving is primarily a unified process
- groups and decision making are frequently complex
what are the antecedent conditions to groupthink?
group cohesiveness
-conformity is the primary route to groupthink
Structural factors
-failure to establish clear decision making procedures
group stress
-under great stress, decision makers tend to break down
what are the symptoms to group think?
over-estimation of the group
close mindedness
pressures toward uniformity
what are the symptoms of overestimation of the group?
- illusion of invulnerability
- belie in the inherent morality of the group
what are the symptoms of close mindedness
- out-group stereotypes
- collective rationalization
what are the symptoms of pressures toward uniformity?
- self censorship
- illusion of unanimity
- self appointed mind guards
- pressures on dissenters
what are the assumptions of organizational culture theory?
1) organizational members create a shared sense of organizational reality
- values are used to inform members about what is important
2) members use symbols to create and sustain their organizational reality
3) Cultures vary across organizations and the interpretations of actions within these cultures are diverse
what are the criticisms of group think?
testability is a limitation
what is a symbol in organizational culture theory? and what are the 3 types
organizational values are communicated through symbols
- physical
- behavioral
- verbal
what are physical symbols?
material objects: logos, buildings, decor
what are behavioral symbols?
ceremonies, rituals, traditions
what are verbal symbols?
jokes, jargon, slogan
what are the 5 types of cultural performances in organizational culture theory?
- ritual performances
- passion performances
- social performances
- politics performances
- enculturaltion performances
what is a ritual performance?
occur on a regular and recurring basis
- personal: individual routine
- task: (job related)
- social: (verbal & nonverbal routines)
- organizational: (company events)
what is a passion performance?
stories that members enthusiastically share with one another
what is a social performance?
common extensions of civility, politeness & courtesies in an attempt to gail cooperation among an organization’s members
what is a political performance?
communicative attempts to influence one another in the organization
what is an enculturation performance?
the ways in which members obtain the necessary information and sills to perform their jobs within the organization
what is the criticism for organization culture theory?
logical consistency
what is the focus of organizational information theory?
to understand the process that is used to manage information
what is weick’s view of organizations?
organizations are constantly changing
organizations receive so much information that there is potential for many interpretations
what is equivocality?
information an organization receives, it can be too ambiguous or too much information
what are rules?
guidelines for reducing equivocality
what are cycles?
a series of communication behaviors that people engage in to reduce the level of ambiguity
what is the prisoners dilemma assumption?
2 people whose actions influence each other that the outcome if affected
“relational life is characterized by change” is an assumption of what 2 theories?
relational dialectics and communication privacy management theory
