The Communication as Social Influence - Essay Example

Communication Theory Communication theories are often borrowed from other social sciences, while communication provides few examples of theories that have been exported to other disciplines. What is taught as communication theory at one institution is unlikely to be at all similar to what is taught within other communication schools. This theoretical variegation makes it difficult to come to terms with the field as a whole (Communication Theory). One way of dividing up the communication field emphasizes the assumptions that undergird particular theories, models, and approaches. While this tends also to be based on institutional divisions, theories within each of the seven "traditions" of communication theory that Robert Craig suggests tend to reinforce one another, and retain the same ground epistemological and axiological assumptions. His traditions include the rhetorical, semiotic, phenomenological, cybernetic, sociopsychological, and sociocultural traditions. Each of these are, for Craig, clearly defined against the others and remain cohesive approaches to describing communicative behavior (Communication Theory). Functional theories are more compatible with the sociopsychological tradition than sociocultural tradition of communication. Functional theories and the sociopsychological traditions have many arguments in common. Functional theories such as structuration theory, argue that groups and organizations create structures, which can be interpreted as an organization's rules and resources. These structures, in turn, create social systems in an organization. Structuration theorists posit that groups and organizations achieve a life of their own because of the way their members utilize their structures. Power structures guide the decision making taking place in groups and organizations (Defining Communication Theories). Social psychology, being the fifth tradition of communication theory, also conceptualizes communication as social influence and interaction. Every communication always involves individuals with their unique personality traits, social status, values, and emotions. How the individual act and communicate in any social setting is influenced by psychological factors. Such norms could be modified through time as individual influence each other through continued interaction, this usually happen without the participants knowing it. Influence can be essentially a transmission process from source to receiver. If, however, interaction reciprocally changes the participants and leads to collective outcomes that would not otherwise have occurred, communication becomes a constitutive social process (Craig). Whether conceived on a transmission or a constitutive model, the problem of communication from a sociopsychological perspective is how to manage social interaction effectively in order to achieve preferred and anticipated outcomes. This requires an understanding, solidly grounded in scientific theory and research, of how the communication process works (Craig). Researchers often prefer the functional approach in studying communication since functional approach pays attention on the outcomes of communication which can easily be measured. Functional approach also aims to explain how outcomes are being influenced by variables and processes that occur across a wide range of communicative situations. For example, certain cognitive processes and message characteristics may help to explain the efficiency with which information is gained from communication, whether in the context of a political campaign in the mass media, the socialization of new members in an organization, a classroom lesson, or a group discussion among friends (Craig). On the other hand, the Sociocultural, the sixth tradition of communication, derives from sociological and anthropological thought of the twentieght century. Scoicultural tradition is not compatible with functional theories since they are less in common. Sociocultural theory conceptualizes communication in a different way. In Sociocultural tradition, communication is considered to be a symbolic process that produces and reproduces shared meanings, rituals, and social structures (Craig). As John Dewey noted in Democracy and Education (New York, 1916), society exists not only by but in communication. That is, society exists not only by using communication as a necessary tool for transmitting and exchanging information. To communicate as a member of society is to participate in those coordinated, collective activities and shared understandings that constitute society itself (qtd from Craig). Sociocultural tradition implies that communication involves the coordination of activities among social actors, and communication problems are directly manifested in difficulties and breakdowns of coordination. Communication problems have apparently become more pressing and difficult under modern conditions of societal diversity, complex interdependence, and rapid change. A reasonable conjecture from a sociocultural point of view is that communication theory developed in modern society as a way of understanding and addressing this new condition in which communication seems to be at once the disease that causes most of our social problems, and the only possible cure (Craig). We can see the concept of functional theory and sociopsychological tradition of communication occurring in our daily life. One example is the family unit. Each family has its own distinct structure, which is the family's rules and resources. Such structure dictates what each member of the family should communicate. For example the children should not use bad words in the house especially in front of their parents. Likewise, parents are careful of what they should talk about when children are present since it could be source of bad example. Another organization where the concept of functional theories and the sociopsychological tradition can be seen is the religious organization. Each religious organization has its own distinct structure and rules as implemented by tradition whether subconsciously or intentionally. Certain religious organization prohibits even the mention of sex matters in any discussion. Some are liberal enough to permit such discussion arguing that sex is part of God's plan. Peer group is another best example of how the concept of functional theory can be experienced. Depending on the type of peer group, most children find it easier to communicate freely within the group than in their own family. There are many scientific studies about why is this so but what is apparent is that family, with its own unique structure, tends to imply a different set of rules. The peer group usually has more free atmosphere where its members can voice out their feelings more freely. There is still no unified human communication theory but a collection of communication theories that try to explain localized and specific communication processes and behaviors. Human communication research however, despite having adopted the nomenclature, never fully applied these concepts to human communication. There is plenty of speculation as to why but most scholars agree that information theory has a description at too lower a level to describe human communication with parsimony or usefulness (Communication Theory). Works Cited Craig, Robert T. Communication. Oxford University Press, March 09, 2000. "Communication Theory." Wikipedia. 07 Oct. 2005. Wikimedia. 18 Oct. 2005. Read More