Richard Smith
CAS 271
Many theories used throughout intercultural communication aim to organize and
predict the outcome of particular interactions among individuals or groups. One of these
theories is the expectancy violations theory. This theory helps to provide understanding of how
nonverbal actions come into play in our perception of others and their behaviors.
Communicating across cultures is a difficult task and this theory is an extremely valuable tool to
use when attempting to communicate in an intercultural setting. I chose to further examine
this theory in order to provide some explanation and analysis of the theory as well as some
background information such as its history and how the expectancy violations theory is put into
use today.
The expectancy violations theory was developed by Judee K. Burgoon along with several
other colleges. This theory was partly inspired by Michael Burgeon’s linguistic-based
expectancy theory as well as the work done by Robert Rosenthal which dealt with expectancy
signaling. Burgoon developed this theory to help provide some understanding of how we react
to certain nonverbal behavior. Originally, the theory was solely intended to analyze proxemics
and interpersonal interactions, but has now expanded in a way that covers many different
areas of communication (Encyclopedia of Communication Theory).
The expectancy violations theory is defined as “ the view that when someone’s nonverbal behavior violates our expectations, these violations will be perceived positively or
negatively depending on the specific context and behavior” according to the definition provided
by our class textbook written by Martin and Nakayama (Martin & Nakayama). The theory
suggests that we have subconscious ideas as to how others should behave during particular
situations. These ideas would be considered our expectancies. The anticipated expectancies
are drawn from two areas: social and idiosyncratic. When we draw from social we take into
consideration the accepted rules, roles, and cultural norms of a given culture. On the other
hand, our idiosyncratic expectancies are drawn from personally specific predictions of how an
individual will act (Encyclopedia of Communication Theory). This can also be drawn from how
you may expect someone to act based on their status or position of power. If someone holds
an authority position, you will undoubtedly expect them to behave in a certain nature
according to the International Journal of Cross Cultural Management. In terms of intercultural
communication, it is very important to recognize when we draw from social norms to construct
our expectancies of how others should behave.
We very rarely go into an interaction without having some expectancy of how the
other party is going to behave (Burgoon). When our expectancies are violated, as the name of
the theory describes, we will react in specific ways depending on the context of the situation.
Context can include the setting of the interaction along with many other conditions that factor
in. Again, based on how our expectancies are constructed, we will anticipate certain behaviors
and not others. If you are interacting with a different culture that does not typically
demonstrate physical contact during greeting and they do contact you physically you may be
shocked. This would be considered a violation of your expectancy and from this you will either
view the interaction positively or negatively. The theory is very practical and can very easily be
used when assessing intercultural communication situations.
There are quite a few studies that do use the expectancy violations theory when
attempting to gain a better understanding of how people interact across cultures and
interpersonally. One of these studies was conducted by Debra Katheryn Waddell. The study
was conducted by having 93 Peace Corps return to the United States and recording their
expectancies and violations of these expectancies. The expectancy violations theory was used
in this case to analyze the expectations of the Peace Corps members of how their interactions
would be with friends and family when they reenter the United States (Waddell). Another
application of this theory can be seen in a study that took a look at how a newcomer is
accepted into a new culture. I found that this was extremely relevant in terms of how the
theory can be used in intercultural communication situations. The study found that the overall
original attitude toward a newcomer entering a new culture was negative. However, if the
newcomer were able to violate the expectations of the host/group in a way that would project
them positively then the newcomer would be accepted much differently (Joardar). These are
just a few instances where the expectancy violations theory can be used to better understand
our perceptions of other through their behaviors. Intercultural communication can use this
theory as a valuable tool to predict and organize interactions across cultures.
There is no doubt that there are many strengths associated with this theory that make it
such as practical and usable theory. This is not to say however, that there are not some
limitations and improvements to be made. I feel as though the theory does a good job of
bringing to light the fact that whether we know it or not, we all hold expectations of how we
anticipate others to behave. This can be done consciously or subconsciously. The expectancy
violations theory shows that these expectations play a huge role in how we view others when
our expectations are violated. When it comes to intercultural communication the theory is very
useful. We hold expectations of how different cultures are “supposed” to act and we base this
off what we have learned about that culture, right or wrong. This is where I find some
limitation to the theory. The way in which the believe members of other cultures “should” act
may be completely inaccurate and will undoubtedly effect how we perceive them upon
interaction. When our expectations are not met we may react either negatively or positively
based on the situation, but if we do not have an accurate idea of how their culture truly
behaves we will not be able to assess their behavior correctly.
Sources
"A Cross Cultural Perspective on Perceived Leadership Effectiveness." International Journal of
Cross Cultural Management 5.1 (2005): 49-66. Print.
Burgoon, J. K. "Interpersonal Expectations, Expectancy Violations, and Emotional
Communication." Journal of Language and Social Psychology 12.1/2 (1993): 30-48. Print.
Expectancy Violations Theory. 1 Vol. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc, 2009. Print.
Joardar, Arpita. "Examining Changes in Group Acceptance of a Newcomer from a Different
Culture: An Expectancy Violation Perspective." International Journal of Cross Cultural
Management 11.3 (2011): 341-62. Print.
Martin, J. N. & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6th edition).
Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Waddell, Debra Katheryn. "An Application of Expectancy Violations Theory to Intercultural
Reentry Shock." ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing, 1992. Print.