COMMUNICATION THEORIES

1. SYMBOLIC CONVERGENCE THEORY, BY ERNEST G. BORMANN.

1.1. Explores how the sharing of narratives or “fantasies” can create and sustain group consciousness. For Bormann, these communal narratives encouraged group cohesion and fostered the development of a shared social reality among group members.

2. PERSONAL INFLUENCE THEORY, BY KATZ AND LAZARSFELD.

2.1. Based on Katz and Lazarsfeld, the concept of Personal influence can be defined as the mechanism of change of opinions, attitudes and behaviors of everyday associates using social pressure and social support.

3. SEMIOTIC THEORY, BY PIERCE.

3.1. MODEL

3.1.1. Pierce explains the semiotic structure by using triangle relationship For example: The letter “X” stands for various other reference of interpretation. A. Sign “X” gives symbolic reference for traffic signal “X” pierce further analysis the “X” by giving certain interpretation (meaning danger (or) not more further (or) caution) B. Sign “X” gives symbolic reference for mathematical sign (“X”). In this case the interpretation gives the multiplication sign (“X”) between two numbers

3.2. According to Charles Sanders Peirce, The Sign relation is the key. He describes this sign’s relation with three basic elements of Semiotics (signs action). Sign (represents) Object (semiotic subject) Interpreting (interpret meaning) Anything that stands for something else in the production of meaning is called “Sign”. Any Sign which have subject to express the matter is called “Object”. Signs have meaning when it translates to get meaning is called “Interpreting”. Peirce describes it’s a triadic relation. All three elements are depending on each other to produce the same meaning. The sign is a subject which refers the matter is called object at the same time without interpreting their is no meaning for the sign. A sign represents something which interpretable to refer something. It may be a symbol, linguistics or sounds. A sign stands for Subject called “object”. It can be thinkable, a rule, a quality or an occurrence etc… A sign’s meaning which form some kind of idea or effect to interpret others is called “Interpreting”. In traffic the green light represents to move or go. As per the theory the green light is the sign. The object (green light) represents and interpret meaning is also the same. In real life situation all these components and elements are not so separable.

4. SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY, BY VYGOTSKY.

4.1. Vygotsky says that language and culture are more important than maturation.But, according to Piaget, there are stages of thinking based on natural maturation. Role of teachers is central according to Vygotsky and the opposite in Piaget. According to Vygotsky, children need opportunities to develop skills in various things. For this, scaffolding is important. He also states that language is a means to achieve cognitive development while Piaget regards language as a measure of cognitive development.

4.1.1. EXAMPLE: A child can’t learn many things without society like language skills. They need to be with people to learn how to use language. Similarly, people also develop their own cognition by reading, interacting, using various tools, etc. So, a person’s cognitive level and another person’s can be different.

5. INTERPERSONAL DICEPTION THEORY, BY BURGOON.

5.1. explains the process and outcomes of deception in interpersonal conversations. It focuses on intentional, strategic communication behaviors by interacting senders and receivers in conversations, as well as the involuntary behavior that arises from their affective reactions and cognitions.

6. LIMITED EFFECTS THEORY, BY LAZARSFELD.

6.1. Lazarsfeld's conclusion from survey research in the 1940s that, contrary to popular assumptions, the mass media cannot directly change most people's strongly-held attitudes or opinions. This is usually explained in relation to selective perception: viewers tend to select and interpret media messages in accordance with their existing attitudes and beliefs, and their use of the mass media tends to reinforce these

7. DRAMATISM THEORY, BY KENNETH BURKE.

7.1. Dramatism focuses on the role of the critic and their responsibility of uncovering a speaker’s motives. In this theory, Burke discusses two important ideas – that life IS drama, and that the ultimate motive of rhetoric is the purging of guilt. There are three key concepts associated with dramatism – identification, the dramatistic pentad, and guilt-redemption

8. FRAMING THEORY, BY ERVING GOFFMAN

8.1. framing theory suggests that how something is presented to the audience (called “the frame”) influences the choices people make about how to process that information. Frames are abstractions that work to organize or structure message meaning.

9. HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY, BY HAROLD LASSWELL.

9.1. The theory is a linear model of communication and talks about media’s power on audience. The message, in this theory, is said to be like a magic bullet which enters the minds of audience and injects a particular message. The theory explains how media controls what the audience views and listens to and the effects, which can be immediate or later in future.

10. SOCIO PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY, BY ADLER, HORNEY, FORMAN AND SULLIVAN.

10.1. The theorists believe that socio-psychological factors, i.e. the combination of both the social (family, society, wealth, religion) and the psychological factors (feelings, thoughts, beliefs) play an important role in shaping the personality of an individual. It is the society from where the individual inculcates the cultural values and the social norms, which helps him in shaping his personality and influences his behavior according to the external situations.

11. RETHORICAL THEORY, BY ARISTOTLE

11.1. All kind of usage of language comprises a certain amount of element of persuasion in them. The classic rhetoric theory was to know how this element of persuasion works and how it can be effectively utilized. In simple words classical rhetorical theory developed from the thought how the language works for people. The classical rhetorical theory doesn’t have its universality like other theories, the major reason for that is people just identified this theory. It existed since when men began to speak.

12. FACE NEGOTIATION THEORY, BY STELLA TING-TOOMEY.

12.1. The theory places special emphasis upon the different viewpoints of members of collectivist and individualistic cultures. Because collectivist cultures emphasize the collective, members seek to avoid anything that might damage the group. As a result, they often avoid conflict, and they often allow others to save face when a conflict is unavoidable

13. FALSIFICATION THEORY, BY KARL POPPER.

13.1. If a hypothesis survives continuing and serious attempts to falsify it, then it has ``proved its mettle'' and can be provisionally accepted, but it can never be established conclusively. Later corroboration generates a series of hypothesis into a scientific theory. Thus, the core element of a scientific hypothesis is that it must be capability of being proven false. For example, the hypothesis that ``atoms move because they are pushed by small, invisible, immaterial demons'' is pseudo-science since the existence of the demons cannot be proven false (i.e. cannot be tested at all).

14. ACCOMODATION THEORY, BY HOWARD GILES.

14.1. People try to emphasis or minimize the social difference between the others whom they interact with. The factors that lead to the accommodation activity are adjustments which can be through verbal communication or through gestures.