Necessary Convergence Communication Essay

A Theory of Dyadic Social Inter spellion and Meanings Michelle Miller-Day In this paper, the author proposed and passs a supposition of the well-disposed construction of message in dyadic communicative interaction. The author argues that demand suffernce parley is a speculative exemplar useful for formulateing how military unit whitethorn captivate the military operation of meaning construction in inter separate(prenominal) discourse.This act describes the features of this theoretical modelling and allow fors theoretical suppositions for future data-based testing. ChildMom, savour at the low package M an other(prenominal) Its non blue, its teal. ChildIt looks akin blue to me. Mother Its not though. Its got green in it too, so its teal. Later that day Friend Oh, thats a pretty package. The blue matches your shirt. ChildIts not blue, its teal. To more of us this scene is not unusual.Children often learn from elders what both pr whizz symbol means and in on e case children learn these meanings they incorporate them into their cognitive lineationta. concord to Piagets (1972, 1954) scheme of cognitive development, from approximately ages 4-7 children be in an splanchnic phase where they quarter grasp logical concepts, but reality is not yet firm and is often dictated by authority figures. The use of goods and services of authority figures to shape constructions of reality accreditedly does not end in childhood.Social constructionists frequently(prenominal)(prenominal) as Berger and Luckmann (1966) argue that case-by-cases together produce a military someonenel environment, with the totality of its socio- cultural and psychological formations and sagaciousnesss favorable meanings atomic number 18 a human product (p. 52). It is not unusual, say, for an abusive quixotic render to convince his or her participator that the abuse is de pay heedd or symbolic of c argon or even admire. The dyadic construction of acts of abuse as signifying love or care whitethorn not e clearly understood by others outside the relative dyad, yet perceptions of abusive behavior as acts of love are common in abusive social relationships, along with sacrificing one and only(a)s fudge interpretation of exits so as not to drop away the affection of the companion (Woods, 1999). In fact, in a new episode of the popular television show legality and Order Special Victims societal unit (Denoon & Platt, 2004) a teenager was placed in foster care cod to a experiences complete and utter dominance over the child, with the episode focusing on the ensure the mother had over how her subject interpreted the world around him.The psychologist in the episode did not name a name for this process of maternal domination, but compared the teenager to a puppet, merely appropriating his mothers interpretations of the world out of business the fear of losing her love, protection and their relative bodily structure. Although thi s essay does not focus on children or abusive relationships specific every(prenominal)y, it outlines a theory addressing the social construction of meanings in dyadic communicative interaction wherein there is disequilibrium amidst members in that process.Berger (2005), in his appraise of the interpersonal parley up until the 21st century, pointed out that very fewer interpersonal communication scholars excite developed theories addressing this central tenet of communication meaning. His re know argued that for the field to move forward interpersonal communication searchers should look more at interaction routines and the process of meaning- devising between interactants.Around the same(p) date as this review was being written, Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2002) published an article in Communication Theory arguing for a similar need for research examining intersubjectivity, meaning, and interactivity in the area of family communication. They argued the following a complete exp lication of family communication involve to consider both intersubjectivity and interactivity (Fitzpatrick & Ritchie, 1993). Intersubjectivity refers to the sharing of cognitions among participants in a communication event, whereas interactivity refers to the microscope stage to which the symbol public and interpretation are linked. ,Interactivity refers to the way that a family maintains its own structure done patterns of family members receptions to for apiece one others communicative acts (p. 73, Koerner & Fitzpatrick, 2002). Correspondingly, Miller-Day (2004) likewise presented a undeniable converging Communication (NCC) theory which focused on both intersubjectivity and interactivity in family member interactions, while addressing issues of powerfulness and dominance twisting in the process of meaning-making between communicators.At this junction, in response to these calls for theoretical development in the area of meaning construction and dyadic social interactio n in the fields of interpersonal and family communication, and building on the ideas introduced by Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2002), this essay impart briefly review the original ideas of Miller-Days (2004) Necessary Convergence Communication (NCC) theory, refine on them, and then discuss how this framework capability be a workable mid-range theory to assist communication scholars understand how the construct of power or dominance may bias the meaning construction process in interpersonal communication.A theory is a lens by which to examine human interaction and theories have four functionsdescription, explanation, prediction, and change (Griffin, 2000 Littlejohn & Foss, 2005). The foundation of a theory is description and as Wood (2004) points out, before we plenty figure out how some(prenominal)thing works, we must(prenominal) describe it (p. 32). Therefore, the first task of building current theory is to describe its features. This essay provides a description of requisit e product communication and identifies specific features that may be empirically tested.An Introduction to Necessary Convergence Communication Miller-Day (2004) argued that incumbent converging is a form of intersubjectivity that occurs during a pattern of interactivity when one communicator is prevalent and the other tractable. When crossway of meaning occurs, meaning coordination draws to be coercive quite than cooperative with the predominate fellows interpretive frame favor over the manageable accessorys, leading to unequal contributions to the process of meaning coordination. Author Ayn Rand (1993) referred to this type of process in her novel The Fountain head up.Rand argued that some individuals tend to be second-handerspeople who dont judge for themselves, who just recite what others close to them say, embrace it, and make it their own. Miller-Days (2004) argument suggests that when the relative schema for the submissive companion is based on conditional regar dthat is, she or he believes that acceptance in the relationship (e. g. , receipt of stirred resources) is detail on meaning convergence the submissive attendant will converge with the dominant better halfs meanings for relational maintenance purposes.As spy in Miller-Days family communication research (2004) and Miller (1995) and illustrated in the Law and Order episode mentioned earlier in this essay, not to converge with a dominant partners interpretation of symbols or events in all(prenominal) transaction would risk already precarious acceptance and approval in the relationship. An interpretive frame is defined here as cognitive structure that adopts mental representations of meanings the process of constructing meaning activates interpretive frames.Necessary infers that convergence is sense datumd as essential to achieving a certain closure, and convergence indicates a temperament toward one point (Miller-Day, 2004). Thus, to obtain relational approval and avoid reje ction, the submissive partner will halt the dominant partner by assimilate his or her interpretive frame. Within this model, convergence is relationally adaptive. This introduction to NCC as a theoretical framework offers an overview.But, to full understand how this theory may be applied more generally to interpersonal relationships, I will elaborate on this theoretical framework, present the assumptions linked to it, describe its characteristics, and provide some theoretical statements for empirical testing. A-Priori Theoretical Assumptions Communication Is an Emergent, Creative Activity through Which Meanings are Coordinated Via instructive Schemata People approach the world through processes of interpretation. As human social animals we are in a constant quantity state of interpreting 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 soc ial interaction, meanings are coordinated through interpretive schematamental structures consisting of organized stuffiness about relationships. informative schemata represent accumulated knowledgethe sum of past times experienceswhich help an individual interpret, understand, and predict the outcomes of interactions with others (Burleson, Metts, Kirch, 2000 Cragan Shields, 1998 Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002).Moreover, interpretive schemata include expectations about what should take place in a given situation and serve to guide behavior. Interpretive schemata specific to relationshipsrelationship schematainfluence the encoding and decoding of education, the inferences and evaluations people make and ultimately their interpersonal behavior in relationships (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002, p. 80). This assumption presumes that the process of making meaning activates interpretive frames.Communicators then coordinate their meaning systems as filtered through these frames and then nego tiate agreement. infrastanding 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 negotiation. Coordination implies a state of equal rank, equal power, and sympathetic order, whereas negotiation suggests that communicators confer with one another in order to produce an agreement.Coordination involves collaboration of all communicating partners. Communication Enacts Relationships The state of being in a relationship is inherently a communication process and must be understood as a series of transactions in which messages are exchanged. Relationships are formed across repeated transactions, with each new transact adding new information to the one that came before, building a additive database of information about the relationship (Burleson et al. 2000 Duck, 1992 Guerrero, Anderson, Afifi, 2001). Transactions are units of interaction affecting b oth 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 take aimsthe 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 dear Personal Relationships Have Implications for Personal and relational Identities relational members encode and decode information about themselves as well as for their partner, extrapolating this information to the relational unit (Aron Aron, 1986). Within this framework, the self is conceptualized as inseparable from dynamic 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 operator management . More recent work in relational communication points out that both personal and relational identities are cocreated communicatively within the context of relationship (Wilmot, 1995). Personal identity development is really the unfolding of the self while retaining relational ties identities are constituted and managed through relationships, not to their exclusion (Adams Marshall, 1996). Relational Culture Shapes Interpretive/Relational SchemataRelational cultures consist of shared meaning systems, routinized patterns of interaction, and norms that structure members roles and behaviors (Wood, 2000). These cultural norms shape relational schemata (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002), and these schemata are socialized across the developmental flying of the relationship. Socialization involves the social and communicative processes through which cultural knowledge, resources and practices are do available and internalized by cultural members (Burleson et al. , 2000, p. 35).As Entman (1993) d emonstrated, culture is the stock of commonly evoked interpretive schemata and culture might be defined as the empirically demonstrable set of common interpretive frames exhibited in the handle and thinking of just about 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.Interpersonal 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 direct interaction, exemplify relational work, and dictate normative ship flockal of outlet directives and responses. Scripted interactions are often routine, habituated, and overlea rned through repetitive practice in the family culture (Sillars, 1995) however, these scripts are useful in directing the typical ways in which an interaction should be handled given the particular relational schema.When relational members become practiced in these roles and memorize their lines, these enactments become 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 croak in patterned ways with well-defined scripts that enact appropriate relational behavior. These a-priori assumptions are implicit in the theoretical framework of NCC.In summary, they guess 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 eventful for interpersonal relationships. Characteristi cs of Necessary Convergence Communication Necessary convergence communication can be captured by describing its three separate characteristics, equilibrium, weighted semblance of meaningfulness, and motivation, and two process dimensions, head and degenerativeity (Miller-Day, 2004).These characteristics are illustrated in Fig. 1 and can be assessed in terms of their valence and intensity in any given interpersonal relationship. Insert Figure 1 about here Equilibrium When indispensable convergence occurs, there tends to be disequilibrium in the relational coordination of meanings. Equilibrium refers to an par of diffusion however when disequilibrium occurs, there is unequal power to determine meanings in interpersonal interaction. Power is a persons ability to ascendancy valuable resources and is often tied to stead.Any type of power such as expert power, legitimate power, or coercive power is relevant to equilibrium as long as the person is in pick up of resources consider ed valuable. Control of resources provide the potential for the exercise of power in close to relationships, with resources being all knowledge, skills, emotions, words, actions, and materials that are at the disposal of the person. Given the distribution of resources within any specific interpersonal relationship, power might be evaluated by its outcome, which is dominance. self-confidence refers to the degree to which a person can influence and impose their will on the other its counterterm, submission, refers to the degree to which a person gives up influence or yields to the wishes of the other. I think it is important to pass on in mind 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 correlateddominance and power are not interchangeable concepts (p. 10). match to Miller-Day (2004), when NCC occurs t he relational member who has higher post or more power in the relationship (e. g. , parent, teacher, boss, or romantic partner) would be dominant in imposing, 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 brilliance 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 interaction. Dominance requires submission. Consequently, when a lower-status partner submits, she or he affords the dominant partners meanings more weightmore significancein the transaction. Developmentally, as most individuals begin to acquire personal authority they naturally become place from parents and others in their life, even as they remain ruttishly connected (Nadien Denmark, 1999).However, as adults form unique relational cultures, they will develop new connections with others. roughly times these relationships are purely social and require alteration of meanings for social management purposes for example, in the classroom where a professor does not get ahead critical thinking but mandates rote memorization and resists any altercate of information. In this case, students are required to accommodate the professors meanings into his or her own understanding (and repeat that on the exam ).Anyone who has ever been in a classroom with one of these instructors may empathize with students placed in a setting where there is a low tolerance for note 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 stirred connection between partners. In this case, the dominant partner will typically closely monitor any behaviors that signify the submissive partners movement toward differentiation (uniqueness outside the relationship), regardless 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 of resistance the convergencethat is a key 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. motive Motivation is a reason for action, an incentive.This theory argues that when there is a have reason for convergence, such as is to avoid undermining the relationship or to absolute relational acceptance, there is increased motivation to converge with the higher-status partner. When acceptance in the relationship is observed to be conditional on that convergence, then convergence is apprehendd 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 delightful concord 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 as a significant reader 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 contingent on the convergence of the lower-status member. The manipulation of emotional resources, therefore, was used to assert psychological dominance with the provision or masturbation of resou rces 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 additive characteristics become important when assessing necessary convergence degree and chronicity. mathematical process Dimensions Degree. The relative intensity or amount of convergence in any given dyadic interaction is important to the process of NCC. The following congressman captures different degrees of convergence. Example An adult adult female and a friend are talking. The friend comments that she likes the muliebritys new hairstyle, pulled up on her head with a hair clip. The charwoman comments that she likes the style too. Soon the adult womans mother walks into the room, looks at her adult daughter, and with a tone of admonition says, What have you done to your hair? It looks awfulUnder conditions of high convergence, the lower-st atus woman would change her hairstyle extensively as a result of her mothers comment, converging with her mothers interpretation that the style was indeed abominable 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. Under conditions of pretty high convergence, the lower-status woman would significantly change her hairstyle as a result of her mothers comment, but just to please 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 integrate both perceptions of what was attractive into one style. Finally, under conditions of low convergence, the lower-status woman might listen to her mothers comment but nouri sh 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 accommodation and convergence, obliterating personal interpretative 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 negotiating meanings in transactions with a partner across time (e. . , across the life course) and contexts (e. g. , attitudes, jimmys, behaviors), this may instill a generalized expectancy of learned helplessness 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 accommodation processes are used at the same time and alternately throughout life. Assimilation being the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in pre-existing cognitive structures and accommodation being the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Necessary convergence communication offers an explanation for those interactions where accommodation becomes the primary means of making sense of the world.Theoretical premisss 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 tail 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 tally to this theory meanings can be hijacked. When both partners share moderate levels of power in the relationship, it would be predicted that they would enjoy the equilibrium and co-construction of meaningshared 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 o f 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 appoint meanings will function to maintain the relational identity. The act of convergence is relationally adaptive. The act of convergence in any given interaction will serve t o 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 varying degrees of tolerance for intimacy and autonomy through interactions. In differentiated relationships partners are provided with autonomy, while maintaining compliments 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 ne cessary 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 in addition 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 submissive partner will have a generalized expectancy of learned helplessness predicting increased risk for first. 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 cogni tions 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 chronicity), 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 suppositions 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 shou ld test these suppositions with the potential to pull wires and/or delimit this theoretical framework.