Communication Theory (Attribution Theory in Research Paper

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 1281 words ( 4 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 4

Page 1 of 4

Here, people always attribute causes to actions and happenings, with the belief that everything has an explanation only if we could look deeper enough (Changing Minds, 2011). This theory serves to show how people have very different perspectives to happenings or events in the daily lives, and these varying views can easily stray into power imbalance, prejudice and such like vices ultimately affecting the communication process.

Under attribution theory, there exist two possible justifications or explanations that are normally forwarded concerning a behavior hence acting as noise to communication. The first is the intrinsic or internal justification; this gives explanation for an event as having been internally motivated. The internal motivations include personality, abilities, and traits that are displayed or observed in the individual. For instance, in our scenario above, I blamed the character of the partner, the jealousy within her, for the lack of consideration for my request. As a result, that also built a grudge within me that never allowed me to be keen on any communication between her and I.

On the other hand, in a case where the environment, other situations or extrinsic factors are believed to be behind the actions (or lack of action) by an individual, then this is referred to as the external attribution. In our scenario above, the lack of effective relaying of communication between the administration and me was based on the grudge held between my colleague and I, which is purely an external force taking into account the administration has nothing to do with our grudges down here.

Therefore, the attribution error is the tendency for the observer of a behavior to attribute the cause of the behaviors of an individual to an internal factor and in the process downplay the real causes of the behavior or the situational causes and affect communication or understanding of the message as intended by the parties within the communication cycle (Gilbert T. & Melone P., 1995).

Stuck Writing Your "Communication Theory (Attribution Theory In" Research Paper?

View All Our Example Communication Theory (Attribution Theory in Research Paper

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

Attribution error can also be said to be the exaggeration of the influence of personality traits, motives and behavior and in the process underrate the power of the extrinsic forces in a particular situation.

The lack of effective communication above and the attribution factor can be said to be the major factor in hindering communication process. There are other factors that can be observed to have intervened in the situation for instance the lack of interpersonal good relation affecting the larger communication sphere, there is also the possibility that the intercultural communication was a major force in the communication breakdown since the difference in gender is enough intercultural communication barrier to affect the communication process. Intrapersonal communication was also a major player in the breakdown in communication since I never took time to understand the reasons that the individual had, I also never allowed the situation to remain in the particular scenario it happened but carried it forward to other scenarios in the future days.

The factors affecting communication mentioned above are always interconnected and affect each other in the process. This means that the factors do no operate in isolation as it is seen one factor leads to the introduction of the other and so on. In one communication instance, there can be several communication theories seen to be applicable and more theories can come into play as .the situation develops or changes from one part to another......

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Communication Theory Attribution Theory In" (2012, November 13) Retrieved May 18, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/communication-theory-attribution-theory-76402

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Communication Theory Attribution Theory In" 13 November 2012. Web.18 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/communication-theory-attribution-theory-76402>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Communication Theory Attribution Theory In", 13 November 2012, Accessed.18 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/communication-theory-attribution-theory-76402
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example