Expectancy Violation theory - Essay Example

EVT is used to understand and to evaluate their interactions and the outcomes of those interactions in this scene. EVT asserts that every person has an expectation regarding other people’s behaviors that affect their personal space. Personal space pertains to the invisible and varying spatial levels that people put around their bodies. Their idea of personal space guides their spatial expectations from other people. For instance, Fran has a small personal space, where she talks closely to people, such as one to two feet away from them, regardless of her personal and professional relationship with them.

To further understand the scene, the concepts of expectancy, violation valence, and communicator reward valence are applied. Expectancy is what people think will happen (or what they expect to happen) and not what they desire to happen. Context, kind of relationship, and communicator characteristics affect expectancy. Context includes cultural norms and setting. Relationship level and status depend on similarity, familiarity, liking, and relative status. Communicator characteristics are comprised of demographics, as well as physical appearance, personality and communication style.

During the interview scene, Maxwell expects deference from Fran, since she is applying as a nanny. . Her cultural beliefs and practices influence her open, honest, and warm attitude and actions toward Maxwell and his children. The context calls for a large distance between Fran and Maxwell during the interview process, but Fran deviates from the social norms when she repeatedly comes close to Maxwell and invades his intimate distance. In addition, the relationship level of the two suggests that as a job applicant of a low-status job, Maxwell expects Fran to be not so familiar in her attitudes toward him.

He does not expect to like her immediately, and in fact, he does not think Fran has enough experience and background to be a suitable nanny for his children. Fran acts and feels the opposite once more when compared with Maxwell. She feels at home at the Sheffield’s residence already, as she walks around confidently and speaks closely to Maxwell and his children. She also shows liking toward her employer and treats him like a friend by invading his intimate distance. Finally, for communicator characteristics, Maxwell is detached in dealing with his children and employees.

He has a respectable demeanor and he communicates in a formal manner, which is not surprising because he is a Broadway producer. He talks to them rarely within his intimate distance. Furthermore, Maxwell is a handsome bachelor, which makes him appealing to Fran. Fran does not have many similar communicator characteristics to Maxwell because she is friendly, outgoing, and frank. She is attractive and sexy too, which makes her confident in her actions and allows her to easily violate Maxwell’s personal space.

Violation valence is the next concept of EVT, which pertains to positive or negative values placed on particular unexpected behaviors. In the interview scene, Maxwell