An account of the Uncertainty Anxiety Management, Communication Accommodation, Intercultural Adaptation and Network Analysis theories of intercultural communication

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MPhil in Intercultural Communication

General Linguistics 897

Module 5

An account of the Uncertainty Anxiety Management, Communication Accommodation, Intercultural Adaptation and Network Analysis theories of intercultural communication

B Leroni

28 February 2006

Responsible Lecturer: Mr J. Oosthuizen


Table of Contents

2.        Hofstede’s Dimensional Model of National Cultural Differences

        

2.2        Power-distance (PD)        

2.3        Uncertainty Avoidance (UA)

        

2.5        Long-term and Short-term Time Orientation

        

3.2        Potential Respondent Bias

        

4.2        Cultural Identity Theory (CIT)


  1. Introduction

This assignment examines four theories of intercultural communication placing particular emphasis on the factors that influence communication effectiveness.  The theories that are examined are Uncertainty Anxiety Management, Communication Accommodation, Intercultural Adaptation and Network theory, each of which is discussed in sections two through five.  

The terms “subjectivist”, “objectivist”, “intergroup communication” and “interpersonal communication” are referenced in this assignment to describe the intercultural communication factors associated with each theory.  It is therefore useful to start our discussion by clarifying the definition of these terms.

“Objectivist” refers to the tendency to describe communicative behavior according to factors that are external to the individual, such as situational and environmental impacts (Gudykunst 2003:167).  “Subjectivist” refers to the tendency to describe communicative behavior in terms of the personal perspectives and the voluntary choices of individuals (Gudykunst 2003:167).

“Interpersonal communication” refers to communicative behavior that is motivated and guided by personal identity considerations, such as the communicator’s self-esteem (Guirdham 1999:193-194). “Intergroup communication” refers to communicative behavior that is motivated and guided by social identity considerations, such as the communicator’s ethnicity (Guirdham 1999:193-194).  

  1. Uncertainty Anxiety Management (UAM) Theory

Uncertainty Anxiety Management (UAM) theory was developed by Gudykunst (1985) who extended Berger and Calabrese’s (1975) uncertainty reduction theory (Gudykunst 2003:169).  The theory incorporates objectivist and subjectivist factors that influence intercultural communication.  Examples of subjectivist factors are the communicator’s self-concept and ability to empathize with strangers (Gudykunst 2003:170). Objectivist factors include situational conditions such as normative support for dealing with strangers and complexity of scripts governing interaction with strangers (Gudykunst 2003:170).  According to Gudykunst (2003:168) the theory can be used to “explain effective interpersonal and intergroup communication”.  The primary emphasis however appears to be on interpersonal factors in intercultural communication.

  1. Concepts and assumptions

The central hypothesis of UAM theory is that communicators experience uncertainty and anxiety during first encounters with strangers which, if too high, undermine communicative effectiveness (Guirdham 1999:207).  

Strangers are individuals who are regarded as different because of their group background and who provoke anxiety when they behave in unexpected ways (Guirdham 1999:207).  Uncertainty arises, according to Gudykunst (2003:169), from a communicator’s perceived inability to predict the communicative behavior of strangers.  Anxiety is an emotional response to uncertainty that is characterized by feelings of apprehension about what may happen during an interaction (Gudykunst 2003:169).  A first encounter is a communicative interaction that is new to the communicator (Guirdham 1999:208).  

UAM theory claims that a communicator’s levels of uncertainty and anxiety in interactions with strangers are influenced by factors such as self-esteem, attraction to strangers, ability to deal with ambiguity and the level of formality required of the situation (Gudykunst 2003:170).  The theory postulates that these factors, the impacts of which are described in 47 axioms, can be controlled in order to reduce very high levels of uncertainty and anxiety (Guirdham 1999:212). In terms of the theory, communicators who achieve optimal uncertainty and anxiety levels are motivated to interact in ways that maximize communication effectiveness (Guirdham 1999:212).  Mindful communication in which the communicator makes conscious choices during the interaction is regarded as the best way to achieve optimal levels of uncertainty and anxiety (Gudykunst 2003:169).  

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  1. The nature and role of UAM communicative factors

UAM theory proposes that uncertainty and anxiety are directly influenced by the following groups of factors; self-concept, motivation, cognitive capacity, social categorization, situational processes and connections to strangers (Guirdham 1999:211).  

Gudykunst (2003:170) states that self-concept refers to the way that communicators perceive themselves.  It comprises factors such as the identity that communicators adopt, their level of security with that identity and their overall level of self-esteem.  Self-concept exerts an important influence over the way that communicators approach interactions. For example, if communicators are secure with their self-identity ...

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