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The Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory
According to William B. Gudykunst in his article "A Model of Uncertainty Reduction in Intercultural Encounters," the uncertainty reduction theory explains initial interactions between two strangers from the same culture. Studies, however, suggest this theory can also be extended to interpersonal communication between two people from different cultures.
Uncertainty refers to how well you can accurately predict how strangers will behave during their initial interaction and the ability to explain the strangers' behavior. Research on uncertainty reduction theory has been limited to attitude similarity. However, it has been argued that in order to understand the influence of similarity on interpersonal relations, research must examine cultural similarity/dissimilarity also. This term refers to how similar and/or different the cultures are from which the communicators come.
According to research, uncertainty is higher in intercultural encounters than in intracultural encounters. There are three major factors that influence communication between people from different cultures. One is cultural similarity/dissimilarity. The second is second language competence. Last is previous experience in the other culture. Depending on how similar two cultures are can influence a variety of things. It can influence how one culture learns the language of another culture. The overlap of communication networks is also influenced. Attributional confidence, which is known as the inverse of uncertainty, is another factor influenced by cultural similarity. Research indicates the more similar another culture is to yours the easier it is for you to learn that culture. Gudykunst's research also indicates that...
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...onfident in your communication skills with that culture. If you are unsure of how to act around a different culture you are bound to feel nervous and unsure of yourself. If you are nervous this will also tend to make the other person nervous. In result, you will not be able to effectively communicate with each other. Remember, the more you know about the other person's culture the less uncertainty you will have and the more comfortable you will be with each other.
A theory that relates to anxiety/uncertainty management is speech codes. The speech codes theory relates to anxiety/uncertainty by explaining the connection between communication and culture. Click here to visit a site on speech codes theory.
Works Cited
Gudykunst, William B. "A Model of Uncertainty Reduction in Intercultural
Encounters." Journal of Language and Social Psychology 4 (1985): 79-97.
Miranda Vs Arizona was a United States Supreme Court case in 1966. The court “ruled that a criminal suspect must make a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary decision to waive certain constitutional rights prior to questioning” (Ortmeier, 2005, 285). This ruling meant that suspects must be aware of their right to remain silent and that if they choose to speak to the police the conversation can be used against them in a court of law. If they do decide to speak under police it must not be under false promises
Ting-Toomey, Stella., & Chung, Leeva C. (2012). Understanding Intercultural Communication. Oxford University Press. 43, 159-160.
Our Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights have changed since the Miranda v. Arizona case got brought to the attention of the Supreme Court.
All throughout American history there has many intelligent individuals that have played significant role in our society. I believe Thomas Edison has been one of the most influential people. He was an American inventor who is considered one of America’s leading businessman. People today credit him for helping to build America’s economy during the nation’s vulnerable early years. Thomas had a very good childhood and was a very hard worker as a teenager. He invented the universal stock printer and he perfected the lightbulb.
Miranda v. Arizona is a case that enabled the Supreme Court to fully identify and reiterate the rights of the accused and the responsibilities of the police. The “Miranda Rights,” or “Miranda Warnings” are based off of these legal obligations: “Police must warn a suspect “prior to any questioning that he has the right to remain silent, that anything he says can be used against him in a court of law, that he has the right to the presence of an attorney, and that if he cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for him prior to any questioning if he so desires.”
Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
The National Honor Society upholds four pillars of excellence that all members attain; scholarship, service, leadership, and character. While these four ideals are present in all members I believe that I withhold these characteristics, as well as numerous others, which qualifies me as an ideal scholar and member of the National Honor Society. These assets are not adequately portrayed in my application, but are equally important to scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
Analysis of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory on Interpersonal Communication. Through this paper, I will conduct an analysis of the uncertainty reduction theory and will then apply it to my own experience here at Colorado University. This theory has been subject to many articles and studies in the communication and social departments. Indeed, studying this theory can help us understand human relations in interpersonal communication.
When witnessing strangers meeting for the first time, it becomes quickly obvious that these individuals are uncomfortable with each other, and begin to go through processes to ease this discomfort. This process is attributed to the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, which states that uncertainty is a negative experience that requires elimination in order for relationships to continue and grow (Theiss & Solomon). The reason why there is such a fight against uncertainty is because of the emotional toll that it takes upon individuals. Uncertainty has been linked to negative emotions, including anxiety, and can cause difficulty in the adaptation to new environments and events (Gilbert, 2005). It can be therefore assumed that completely eradicating
Animals have held an important spot in many of our lives. Some people look at animals as companions and others see them as a means of experimental research and medical advancement. With the interest to gain knowledge, physicians have dissected animals. The ethics of animal testing have always been questioned because humans do not want to think of animals on the same level as humans. Incapable of our thinking and unable to speak, animals do not deserve to be tested on by products and be conducted in experiments for our scientific improvement. Experimentation on animals is cruel, unfair, and does not have enough beneficial results to consider it essential.
Cultural sensitivity occurs when people recognize and are aware that each country or various ethnic groups of people have their own set of experiences, beliefs, values, and language that affect their perceptions toward life. Addressing Cultural sensitivity permits people to comprehend that there are differences between cultures. Furthermore, having awareness in the differences between cultures permits a culturally competent person to communicate effectively with others that are outside of one’s realm. Some of the differences of Cultural sensitivity can be discovered while traveling outside of the country, such as through Cross-cultural sensitivity experiences. Likewise, a culture has its own norms and beliefs to how one should dress; how one should greet others, such as by referring to a significant individual by his or her first name or surname (comprehending which name should be stated first in foreign names); and/or what foods are permitted to eat or forbidden to eat or understanding what may offend a person (e.g. not accepting a home cooked meal). There are norms, taboos, cultural cues, and cultural etiquette standards that are significant to learning about one’s culture before exploring another country or while working with people who are from your country but who are part of another racial group. It takes time and patience to build a high level of Cultural sensitivity. Educating oneself with a culture’s psychology and its norms is significant toward achieving an increasing awareness toward Cultural sensitivity.
Thomas (Alva) Edison was one of America’s most important and famous inventors. Edison was born into a time and place where there wasn’t much technological advancements. His inventions helped a lot of things quickly change in the world. His inventions contributed to many inventions today such as the night light, movies, telephones, and records and CDs.
The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Language has always been perceived as a link between people but it can also constitute a barrier. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of "yes" varies from "maybe, I'll consider it" to "definitely so," with many shades in between . Furthermore, communication between cultures which do not share the same language is considerably more difficult . Each culture, has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure which causes confusion in intercultural communication. For example , in Asian countries the word “no” is rarely used, so that “yea” can mean “no” or “perhaps”. Therefore, an American traveling to Japan might be considered impolite if he ignores this rule. Furthermore, individuals who are not comfortable with a certain language may not be taken seriously. Such is the case in the classroom, where a student who has a perfect knowledge of the subject in question may have difficulty expressing his idea due to his inability to write properly and therefore he would not receive the grade he truly deserves. Similarly intercultural communication is dominant in the workplace. In the past, many companies and organizations could operate entirely within their country of origin and conduct their activities exclusively in their own native language. But now, due...
To elaborate, by mentioning intercultural understanding, I meant that each cultural group has different ways to communicate. For example, Western culture encourages people to be up-front and straight-forward with their communication; contrastly, people who are influenced by Eastern culture might be less outspoken about their ideas and pay a lot of attention to nonverbal language of the people around them. Culture is something that if one have never encountered or exposed to it, he or she would never know. I hope that after this project, besides of the knowledge we gained from the research itselves, all four of us would improve even more on our intercultural and interpersonal communication skills. Because at the end of the day, the knowledge that one have learnt might be forgotten, but all of the skills that one have gained will stay for a very long time.