Social Science Theory and its Implications in Communication

Social Science Theory
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Social Science Theory
The social science approach assumes that human behavior is predictable and a definable external reality. Research in sociology and psychology forms the basis of this technique, also known as the functionalist method. In order to better understand and anticipate human behavior, social scientists increasingly rely on quantitative techniques. In the same way that personality influences communication, researchers believe that culture can be measured and influenced in the same way. The goal of social science theory is to predict how culture influences communication. Those who employ this strategy employ quantitative approaches, such as delivering questionnaires or monitoring participants in the field. There are many hypotheses in the social science approach; however, Face Negotiation, Communication Accommodation, Anxiety Uncertainty Management Theory (AUM), and Conversational Constraints are its primary theories. This paper will describe social science theory and how to identify its practical implications within the discipline of communication using the above theories that fall under it, not forgetting some of its strengths and weaknesses.
Face Negotiation Theory
According to scholars’ definition, "face" refers to a person's asserted feeling of good social self-value that they want other individuals to possess (Ting-Toomey & Kurogi, 1998).). Emotional significance is linked to our self-image in the open. It also entails how we wish to be perceived by others through our facial expressions. We can then use this to benchmark how we think everyone else should treat us. A wide range of emotions can be triggered by everyday social interactions, from pride and admiration to shame and embarrassment. Concerns about saving and losing one's face are classified by Ting-Toomey as "face-saving" and "face losing," respectively. Negative and positive faces were previously identified by earlier scholars (Brown & Levinson, 1987). A positive type of face is preoccupied with the desire for recognition from other people.
On the other hand, a negative face focuses on a desire to behave without the interference of others. It is impossible to show both a positive and negative face simultaneously. Therefore, the free-acting of an individual is out of the question since we want to be appreciated by others.
Facework is considered a collection of communication character traits that individuals practice to control their social values and to support or question the dignity of others. Facework comprises specific verbal and nonverbal cues that uphold and recover face loss and honor and respect face gain. When it comes to "framing," or interpreting a given context's face and facework tactics, the meanings of these strategies are culturally distinctive and vary from culture to culture. Individualistic and collectivist cultures were shown to have a wide range of distinctions. An archetypal illustration of the former may be found in the United States, where the emphasis is placed on the "I" identity. In China, the "we" identity has become the norm. According to various research, individualism and collectivism play an essential role in explaining cultural differences in facing expectations. Individualistic cultures prefer assertive speech, while Asian cultures appreciate tactfulness and respect in international business negotiations (Ting-Toomey & Kurogi, 1998).). Assertiveness may be interpreted as an attempt to achieve a personal advantage in collectivistic cultures.
The face includes awareness of the requirements of others' faces as well. Researchers identify three face types: the self-face, the other face, and the mutual face. During a conflict, one's self-image is in jeopardy, and the first face depicts this concern. Another consideration is the other face which is the expression on the face of the conflicting individual. Finally, the mutual face is the third that expresses concern for both sides' reputations and relationships. When it comes to the preservation and protection of their self-image, individualists tend to worry about their image more than they are about the image of others. Facework techniques are utilized to address a variety of various face-related issues.
Intercultural Facework Competence
It is thought that facework management abilities require both players to dance effortlessly together. Conflict disputants must learn how to create a trust to dance together harmoniously. When people do not trust one other, they are less likely to work together in a conflict than walk away from each other. Facework in an intercultural context is, therefore, the primary question. Knowledge, mindfulness, and interaction skills are the three pillars of intercultural facework competency.
The most critical factor is one's standard of knowledge. Researchers stress that understanding why and how we vary from one another is essential. Understanding individual and cultural variations in facework conflict analysis resolution improve our ability to communicate effectively across cultural and linguistic divides. Conflict can help us better respond to communication challenges and choose the best communicative tactics.
When we are mindful, we are open to looking at a situation from various angles. People who show up late to an important meeting are not necessarily lazy or irresponsible. The individual might have been delayed due to a car accident or an emergency medical situation involving a family member. They may have no choice but to be late in this case. Mindfulness refers to letting go of preconceptions and allowing yourself to have new experiences (Griffin, 2006). As a result of combining multiple thinking methods, one may discover new solutions. Mindfulness requires an ODIS (observe; describe; interpret; suspend evaluation) examination.
A person's interaction skills are the ability to communicate effectively in a given context. There are various ways to improve one's ability to communicate across cultures. Knowledge and mindfulness can be translated to a concrete level through the five inter-personal skills of mindful listening, introspection, facework management, trust-building, and cooperative discourse. Different conversational patterns can lead to misunderstandings and disputes (Cupach & Imahori, 1993). Unknown to the other Japanese employees in the company, an American CEO may laud a Japanese business partner for his or her impeccable command of the English language. He thinks it is appropriate to show gratitude because it is a technique to enhance one's appearance. On the other hand, the Japanese see this in a pretty different light, which may put fear in his face. In a Japanese context, single-outing one person harms the emphasis on cooperation. Even the best intentions might easily be misunderstood if the correct information is not available.
Communication Accommodation Theory
The primary focus of Communication Accommodation Theory is language. In the context of CAT, "accommodation" refers to reducing (and, in certain situations, even magnifying) the discrepancies in communication between persons in interaction (Soliz & giles,2015). For example, Turkey is currently a particularly popular vacation spot for Slovaks. Turkish little shopkeepers who have learned a few simple words in Slovak thrill many Slovak tourists. Slovak tourists often enjoy and spread the word about their positive experiences in the country. Accommodation is a crucial strategy because it emphasizes interpersonal commonalities and reduces uncertainty about the other to reduce the social or relational distance. However, if Turkish vendors only spoke Turkish or English with Slovak tourists, the communication gap would widen.
The term "accommodation” also refers to a person's ongoing movement toward and away from others via altering their communication style. Body language is just as important as verbal communication.CAT relies on the ideas of in-groups and out-groups to function correctly. An in-group is a social group where a person feels a sense of belonging. The groups may form based on employment, marriage, ethnicity, and social groups.
On the other hand, out-groups are the social groups to which people believe they do not belong to. For example, a stock market expert will feel odd at a neurosurgery seminar. The choice of formal or even colloquial language can significantly impact whether or not someone is accepted into the group. A person's identity can be expressed through various non-verbal cues, such as clothing, hairstyle, tattoo, diet, and language.
Accommodating Through Convergence
An important CAT notion is a convergence. Accommodating through Convergence communication refers to how people alter their communicational behaviors to become more like their interlocutor in terms of linguistic, paralinguistic, and nonverbal cues. Teachers working with young children are taught to communicate in a slower, more straightforward style with vocabulary appropriate for the age group. Thomson, Murachver, and Green found that email communication can be more accommodating to how the emailers speak (Thomas et al.,2001). One of the netpals was female-preferential, and the other male-preferential. According to the results, participants' email responses were more likely to reflect their netpals' preferred language style than their actual gender identity or status. The gender-preferential language employed by the participants mirrored the language spoken by their netpals. The study's findings demonstrated that both men and women adopted the emailers' language style.
Upward and downward convergence is distinguished in terms of sociocultural valence. When a Slovak who habitually speaks a dialect visits a government agency, they utilize standard Slovak, typically needed in such instances. The above example is an upward convergence which is a formal conversational style. We speak about downward convergence when an older person who only speaks a dialect enters the office, and the staff chooses to adapt to continue the dialogue in dialect. Earning approval from each other is a crucial motivator for convergence. We anticipate being rewarded more respect and appreciation as we get closer to our conversation partner.
The cons of convergence are that individual or social identity loss may occur due to convergence (Hogg et al., 1989). They distinguish upward and downward convergence in sociocultural valence. An example of upward convergence is when a Slovak who habitually speaks a dialect enters an official authority office and employs standard Slovak, which usually is expected. It shows upward convergence to a more prestigious conversational style fit for formal settings. Conversely, if an older person who only speaks a dialect visits an official authority office and a clerk adapts to continue the dialogue in dialect, we talk about downward convergence. These instances also show that gaining approval from others is a significant driver of convergence. The idea is that the closer we get to our conversation partner, the more respect and reward we will receive.
Personal or social identity loss may occur due to convergence (Hogg et al.,1989). For example, a student who gravitates toward the teacher's conversational pattern may be rejected and condemned by other pupils from his in-group. While the student may be pleased with the teacher's reaction, he or she is left with mixed emotions and doubts about his self-identity. Full convergence is not necessarily wanted by the non-native speaker or the native speaker recipient when learning a foreign language (Preston,1981). According to Preston's research, native-speaker-like fluency, which equates to full convergence, is typically distrusted and viewed as domineering by the addressee.
Accommodating Through Divergence
Divergence is a tactic for emphasizing distinctions in spoken and nonverbal communication. Divergence is sometimes motivated by a desire to stand out from others, highlighting opposing group identities. For example, The High Tatras is nearer to the eastern border, where people from Bratislava vacation there. The accents of Slovakia's various regions are easily identifiable by local speakers. A person might decide to speak with a strong Bratislava accent, which distinguishes him from others and implies a high status. Divergence is also used to express disapproval or rejection. For example, a friendly kindergarten teacher may adopt a strict standard tone when children misbehave. Similar to convergence, upward and downward divergence are distinguished. If someone from Bratislava dislikes the Bratislava dialect and deliberately begins talking in a more cultured conventional Slovak to show what proper Slovak ought to sound like, this illustrates upward divergence. An instance of low divergence is when a person with a lesser accent, such as a “Koice” dialect in Slovakia, communicates on TV or radio, and the accent clashes with the TV interviewer's standard accent.
Maintenance is a related occurrence to divergence. A person sticks to their original language style regardless of the interlocutor's preferences, mayb...