Analyze Nonverbal Communications and Gender - Assignment Example

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS AND GENDER Non-Verbal Communications And Gender I. Introduction Non-verbal communication between men and women is a complex subject and one that is not to be taken lightly. In reading the material for this course, generally three different topics have come up which require further inquiry. These topics regarding non-verbal communication between the genders are: personal space (including interpersonal perception); the human body (including physical appearance, gestures, non-verbal behavior, the human face, and the human voice); and finally, understanding cross-cultural communication. II. Personal Space When exploring human proxemics, the concept of personal space is very key. When personal space is invaded, the person whose space is being invaded will most likely flee the situation, and, only a slight percentage of those people whose space is personally invaded will provide a verbal affront to the invader ("Exploring Non-Verbal Communication," 2009). This is probably based on the evolutionary principle of "fight or flight" response. "When we experience excessive stress-whether from internal worry or external circumstance-a bodily reaction is triggered, called the "fight or flight" response. Originally discovered by the great Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon, this response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm" (Neimark, 2009, pgh. 2). The power of the human touch is not to be underestimated either. When we touch someone, we must take up some of their personal space in order to "reach out." According to Kleinman (2007), "What scientists do know that you may not, is that human touch can actually improve your mental and physical health, lengthen your life, and even boost your career performance" (pgh. 1). This is not an uncommon happening, and from the moment babies are born they are being bombarded with external stimuli. Just like adults, "Babies differ in their perceptual styles and types of defenses. Some respond to auditory stimulation with a large repertoire of reactions while others respond with only single or global bodily responses" (Kernberg, et. al., 2000, pp. 102). A. Interpersonal Perception Have you ever wondered if you can just tell the true emotions of someone just by looking at them It is true that you can generally guess what someone is thinking by looking at their face for contextual clues. As seen in the reading online, flight attendants usually faked smiles even when telling passengers unpleasant or negative comments. However, they realized that as long as they said whatever they had to say with a smile, it didn't really matter what exactly it was they were saying to the customer. "Flight Attendants must learn to interact with people from around the world, respecting individual customs and cultures while recognizing different comfort levels people have with flying. Two important traits you will need to succeed as a flight attendant are flexibility and a positive attitude" ("Flight Attendant-Express Jet," 2009). Also, from just looking at someone's face and body language, I was also able to detect the winner of a basketball game. The winner generally looked confident, appeared happy (as he was smiling), and held his body in a posture that exuded self-confidence. "According to a study comparing the reactions of blind and sighted competitors in the Olympics and Paralympics, the expressions of pride and shame may have evolved to be programmed into human behavior" ("Body Language of Winners, Losers Determined By Genetics," 2009). The loser, meanwhile, looked a bit slumped over, had a grumpy face (with a frown), and obviously looked upset that he had lost. III. The Human Body Appearances say a lot when it comes to men and women. "Studies examining women's satisfaction with their appearances frequently measure the linear effects of isolated variables on women's feelings. Previous research has examined the impact of socioeconomic status, sexuality, race, and feminism on women's appearance satisfaction" ("Pathways to Women's Appearance Satisfaction: A Combinatory Explanation," 2009). In the online reading, I guessed wrong that the man featured was from Jamaica. The clue was that this man would prefer a large woman over someone skinny. Because of the way his hair was braided I assumed he was Jamaican, although my first instinct said that the man's preference gave away that he was from the Ivory Coast. However, I chose Jamaica instead and was wrong. Large women are apparently considered physically attractive in African culture, but especially in the Ivory Coast. Women try to gain extra weight by the date of their marriage in order to appear more physically attractive in appearance. Self-image, body image, and shape play quite a big part in determining how we feel about ourselves. Generally men don't obsess over their appearances, in my opinion, as much as women do. Women worry about their hair, nails, make-up, and whether or not they weigh too much or not. These twin obsessions of being thin and being pretty are intertwined and they are becoming social trends in the United States. Models and normal women in the U.S. strive to be stick-thin, because their jobs are at stake if they are not. Meanwhile, women in Africa think big is beautiful-which just goes to show a completely different worldview about our body images, self-perception, and shapes. A. World of Gestures Cultural non-verbal communication is an interesting topic. Generally, the "thumbs up sign" given in the U.S. to signify "good" is actually a cursing sign in Iran. Therefore, body movement is significant in different parts of the world. When someone makes bunny ears with each of their forefingers on either side of the head, in Japan this symbol means someone is angry. I guessed correctly on that quiz. B. Non-Verbal Behavior Non-verbal behavior helps men and women know what their partner really is saying through their actions. In fact, the type of relationship two people share is clear through non-verbal behaviors. Are they close in proximity to each other Do they hold hands Do they look in each other's eyes when they speak Are they polite and respectful Non-verbal behaviors provide a wealth of information that is not spoken. These behaviors also regulate give-and-take interaction and other informational exchanges. Non-verbal behavior is a way of social control. Non-verbal behaviors also have a preservational function, which sets a certain tone for a relationship so that a couple maintains a certain image. C. The Human Face Emotions, identities, and masks are some of the aspects of the human face that can be decoded. Humans, even if they are born blind, have the same facial expressions as sighted people. We have certain muscles in our face that control these expressions. Emotions are an interesting animal. Usually, unless someone is acting, emotions of a person show up on his or her face in an instant. Sometimes people put on different identities when they are showing their face to someone. For example, people use serious faces when it's time to be serious, happy faces on happy occasions, and so forth. This brings us to the subject of masks people wear. People can feign interest and the emotions that accompany various events. For example, inwardly someone may be sad. However, let's imagine he or she had to attend a birthday party of a relative. Birthday parties are relatively joyful events. Therefore it would probably be considered bad form to frown at a birthday party. This is just one example where someone might fake a smile, in order to appease the people holding the birthday party. After all, this is a cultural courtesy in the U.S. People smile regardless of whether they are really happy or not. This deft avoidance of the emotions is a deference that Americans have for other people. It is a way of showing respect. Denying one's emotions is considered being able to have control over one's life. Therefore, having these emotional "masks" is very important in American culture. You are told to smile when you're sad, laugh when you're not happy, and in general live a life that is frought with fakeness. American culture can be very shallow. This goes back to body image. People judge other people based on how much they are social butterflies, how thin they are, how much money they have, what their job is, where they live, and what kind of car they drive. This is all very materialistic. The truth is, what really matters in life is how good of a person you are, how much you care for others, and what positive change you can bring to the world-not how many material things one owns or how one looks. Of course, within every culture, there are different cultural norms. This is especially true with regard to appropriate facial expressions and other kinds of expressions and gestures. Americans have a tendency to hide many of their true feelings because they are being polite. This is standard operating procedure. If Americans choose to show their true feelings, sometimes they are very harsh judgements. Also, Americans tend to be very sarcastic in nature, whether non-verbally or in a verbal fashion. Gazing is also a powerful mechanism that can be used by couples to communicate. People who like each other tend to look at each other more. D. The Human Voice With regard to exploring vocal paralanguage-have you ever been able to tell where someone is from by hearing their voice This is not entirely impossible. People from various cultures have specific vocal paralanguage that can be recognized by other people. This is especially true if two people are from the same culture. IV. Understanding Cross-Cultural Communication A. Communication Cross-cultural communication can be difficult. One person thinks their partner is perhaps saying something different than what they are actually trying to articulate-which is bad. "The key to effective cross-cultural communication is knowledge" ("Cultural Communication Strategies," 1998). The key to good communication is making sure that everyone understands the other person. Communication in a relationship is important because, without it no one will get anything accomplished. "The first key to effective communication is to listen" (Osborn, 2007, pgh. 2). "The way people communicate varies widely between, and even within, cultures" (Dupraw, et. al., 1997, pgh. 8). The reason communication is such a key concept within a relationship-especially a cross-cultural relationship-is because you may understand something differently than how your partner wants you to understand something by the very nature of the fact that one is hearing a statement and misinterpreting it. V. Conclusion Personal space, the human body, and cross-cultural communication are factors when it comes to non-verbal communication. Men and women should realize this. REFERENCES Body language of winners, losers determined by genetics. (2009). Available: http://www.wayodd.com/body-language-of-winners-losers-determined-by- genetics/v/9511/. Cultural communication strategies. (1998). Available: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/xcolcomm.htm. DuPraw, M., et. al. (1997). Working on common cross-cultural communication challenges. Available: http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html. Exploring non-verbal communication. (2009). Available: http://nonverbal.ucsc.edu/space.html. JetEmployment Web Site. (2009). Available: http://jetemployment.com/flight-attendant-127/. Neimark, N. (2009). The fight or flight response. Available: http://www.thebodysoulconnection.com/EducationCenter/fight.html. Kernberg, P., et. al. (2000). Personality disorders in children and adults. USA: Basic Books. Kleinman, S. (2007). The Pleasure-and the power-of human touch. Available: http://www.lamasbeauty.com/lifestyle/pleasure-power.htm. Osborn, J. (2007). Success-3 keys to effective communication. Available: http://ezinearticles.com/Success---3-Keys-To-Effective-Communication&id=556258. Pathways to women's appearance satisfaction: a combinatory explanation. (2009). Available: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/2/2/6/9/p22696_index.html. Read More