Nonverbal Communication in Dating Relationships Essay

Nonverbal Communication in Dating Relationships - Essay Example Through studies of communications between individuals, for example, researchers have discovered a correlation in six specific motives for interpersonal communications, pleasure, affection, inclusion, escape, relaxation, and control, (Myers, 2001). Individuals will direct their interpersonal communications, both verbal and nonverbal, to satisfy one or more of these motives. During interpersonal communications it is most often what is not said that concerns individuals rather than what is said. A wife may wonder more about what is implied by the flat tone of her husband's voice than by what he has stated verbally. An employee may begin to distrust his boss if during private conversations the boss avoids eye contact with the employee (Le Poire, 2002). Researchers generally agree that all communications having both verbal and nonverbal elements comprise two levels of meaning and that both have a report and a command function. "The report aspect is the content and is concerned with what i s verbalized. The command aspect is synonymous with the relational message and is concerned with what the entire message implies about the relationship: how communicators feel about their partner, about themselves in the relationship, and about the relationship in general." (Le Poire, 2002) The lack of understanding regarding nonverbal messages is partiall... Direct eye contact, for example, can mean to imply intimacy as well as anger. What determines the meaning of this behavior is the host of nonverbal cues displayed at the same time. No one nonverbal cue can be interpreted without considering the additional nonverbal behaviors. By example then the message implied by direct eye contact can only be determined by observing the proximity of the communicator, body orientation, other facial expressions, and the behavior of the communicator's hands and arms. If the communicator is standing close, smiling, and touching gently they are communicating intimacy. If they are grimacing while pointing a finger at the other's chest, they are communicating anger (Le Poire, 2002). Research regarding communication and nonverbal immediacy behaviors between marital partners has only recently started to receive serious attention (Hinkle, 1999). Some of the research indicates that an important nonverbal immediacy behavior required to sustain a relationship is the partners liking one another (Hinkle, 1999). "Liking performs an important function in relational maintenance. However, it is not clear exactly what behaviors married partners use to maintain their relationships" (Hinkle, 1999). Additional research suggests that partners engaging in nonverbally immediate behaviors view each other in a more positive way than those who do not engage in nonverbally immediate behaviors (Richmond, 2003). While much research has started to accumulate regarding nonverbal and verbal communications between married partners and the use of nonverbal immediacy behaviors to maintain these marital relationships, research regarding how these communication methods influences the early stages of a pre-marital relationship is only now beginning to