Cultivation Theory

Have you ever been fearful of someone you don't know as you pass them while you walk down the street? Have you ever had the fear that someone you know isn't who you thought they were? Both of these fears deal with issues of trust of our fellow man. George Gerbner, originator of Cultivation Theory, would attribute these fears to the violence seen in television. "He claimed that because TV contains so much violence, people who spend the most time in front of the tube develop an exaggerated belief in a mean and scary world. The violence they see on the screen can cultivate a social paranoia that counters notions of trustworthy people or safe surroundings (Griffin 366)."

While many studies regarding violence in the media deal with the way it encourages and, in some sense, recommends violent behavior, Gerbner was more interested in the way it instills fear, in viewers, of others and the world around them. Two key elements of Gerbner's theory include the message system analysis and the cultivation analysis. The message system analysis is the analysis of the violent content presented in TV and the various societal factors that contribute to it such as gender roles, minority-group roles, and racial roles. The cultivation analysis is the analysis of these message systems and the impact they have on television viewers.

Gerbner's approach to cultivation, solely dealing with changes in beliefs of television viewers about the world around them, may be seen as a source of the common approach to cultivation and its ability to promote violent behavior. These changes in attitudes and beliefs about the world could be seen as contributing factors to an individual's need to commit violent acts out of fear and protection from those around him. In other words, rather than wanting to go out and commit an act of violence because it seemed "cool" or "un-harmful", a high viewer of television would want to go out and commit an act of violence out of fear or distrust of those around.

A rather large fan of the TV show Gossip Girl, I have found myself suddenly addicted to the drama within each episode. I just started watching the series at the beginning of our Fall Term, and have watched at least three episodes a night since. With that being said, I have been able to see many examples of cultivation after having discussed the subject in class.

For those that don't know, the show is about teenagers in the elite class of upper-Manhattan, who are "friends" but contribute to the sabotage of each other and their enemies. The following clip shows an episode where socialite Serena Van Der Woodsen is poisoned and drugged by a group of girls who claim to be her friend, but ultimately plot to destroy her because of her social status and privileges in society.

Serena is later hospitalized when she wakes up and doesn't know where she is or what happened to her. The doctor describes it as a self-inflicted overdose, which is believed by everyone in the show including Serena's family and best friends. Serena's mom, concerned for her well-being, puts her in a rehab facility during the next episode.

The belief that this violence cultivates in viewers is the fear of those around them, even of those that are believed to be friends. In previous episodes, Serena trusts these girls; she confides in them, unknowingly providing them with more information to take her down. Though she doesn't remember anything from that night, Serena knows she wouldn't put herself in that kind of danger, but her own family ignores her pleas.

Gerbner describes his results of cultivation analysis and the impact that violence, such as in the Gossip Girl clip or any TV show, has on viewers. Positive correlation between TV viewing and fear of criminal victimization, perceived activity of the police, and general mistrust of people are three results which Gerbner highlights. This clip from Gossip Girl demonstrates fear of victimization and mistrust of others, but it also stirs up thoughts about police investigations and physician roles in violence. This episode, above instilling fear in me of those that claim to be my friends, instilled a fear in me that, if a crime like this was committed on me, law enforcement or doctors would determine me the cause and move on, never questioning if a crime was in fact committed. How horrible to be so victimized, only to have everyone believe you did it to yourself, even going so far as to put you in rehab because of it.

 

 

 

 

Griffin, Em. A First Look At Communication Theory. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.



Cognitive Complexity as it intertwines with Constructivism

The theory of Constructivism, proposed by Jesse Delia and built on by Em Griffin, allows us to seek and understand individual differences in people's ability to communicate skillfully in social situations (Griffin 98). An important and key aspect of the theory of Constructivism is the idea of cognitive complexity. Em Griffin defines cognitive complexity as the mental ability to distinguish subtle personality and behavior differences among people (99). Cognitive complexity is crucially important to constructivism because, as we better understand the differences among people, we are better able to communicate in a variety of social situations with a variety of people. The higher our cognitive complexity, the more likely we are to be skilled in constructivism.

I just had a job interview this past Friday and, to my surprise, I found numerous instances where I was relating what I was discussing with my interviewer to different aspects of communication that I have been learning throughout my college education. My interview was with Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the largest vacation ownership business in the world. Beginning in June, I will be a part of the Wyndham Team as a Sales Professional. In speaking with my interviewer and Director of Sales, Brandon, constructivism and cognitive complexity immediately came to mind. As a Sales Professional, I will be meeting with Wyndham timeshare owners and potential owners, providing them with knowledge on all that Wyndham Vacation Ownership has to offer. Communication will be 100% of my job, as I will be meeting with multiple individuals each day persuading them to either buy a timeshare or upgrade their existing timeshare. Possessing a high level of cognitive complexity will be extremely beneficial to me in a sales environment. My ability to cognitively process various personalities and behaviors will further allow me to communicate in an interpersonal way that will be most effective for each individual guest during their appointment. Ultimately, my goal in using constructivism will be to make a sale.

Another example where I have utilized constructivism was during my internship at Disney World. We are taught during training how to recognize people with minute disabilities and how to communicate with them effectively in order for them to not feel out of the ordinary. People with disabilities are just like anyone else and deserve the same treatment, but there are ways to use cognitive complexity to skillfully communicate in a manner which makes it easier for them to understand. 

Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT)

Imagine that you walk into a grocery store on an ordinary Sunday afternoon and everyone in the store is dressed up in a costume as someone or something else. On an ordinary Sunday, this would be extremely shocking to most people; however, on Halloween it is expected. In the eighth edition of A First Look at Communication Theory, Em Griffin explains that our expectancy is what we predict to happen. Expectancy Violations Theory, or EVT, by Judee Burgoon, deals with the instances when these expectations are violated.

In EVT, there are three core concepts, which Griffin breaks down, the first being the expectancy. In order for this theory to exist, there must first be an existing expectation on the end of the individual being violated. In this first concept of the theory, Burgoon explains that these expectations are processed based on context, relationships, and characteristics of individuals (Griffin 89). The second concept is the violation valence. The violation valence is the positive or negative value that is assigned to a breach of expectations (90). In other words, the violation valence is the positive or negative feeling the individual has about the violation. The third and final concept is the communicator reward valence, which Burgoon describes as the likely gains and losses in the future from the expectancy violation. Griffin defines the communicator reward valence as the sum of positive and negative attributes brought to the encounter plus the potential to reward or punish in the future (91).

If you walk into a grocery store on an ordinary Sunday, you expect to see people in everyday clothing, ranging from casual wear to business attire. When you walk in and you see people in costumes instead, that expectation is violated. According to the concepts, you would then process this violation and perceive it as either positive or negative. If you were to view it as positive, you may dig deeper to find out why people are in costumes on this ordinary Sunday which would incline you to participate in the dress-up in the future.

An example of EVT from my own life deals with the initial stages of my relationship with my now boyfriend, Nolan. We met when I was working at the Nonprofit and Volunteer Fair on-campus for my job at Career Services. He was attending the fair and, after we chatted about a Nonprofit organization he was there looking for, he asked me for my number. We began texting that night and he expressed interest in hanging out with me in the near future. Although I am a very outgoing person, I've always been a little shy and nervous when it comes to guys and relationships, especially when I communicate more online or through text in the beginning. Multiple times in high school and college, this would happen and the guy would then ask me to hang out in person and I would get extremely nervous and chicken out! Nolan and I were texting a few days later and he told me he wanted to hang out. I immediately went into my nervous mode and didn't respond because I wasn't sure how to. I really liked him, which made me even more nervous. When I didn't respond, he sent another text stating that he was coming over. I wasn't expecting him to actually come over without my confirmation, but he completely violated that expectation when I heard his knock on the door. His violation definitely caught me off guard, but I was glad he did it. By him just showing up, I knew it was building our relationship and helping us get to know one another. As the violator, he has explained to me that his action could have been taken negatively by me, which demonstrates my violation valence. Luckily, I viewed the violation positively, and now I am in an incredible relationship with my best friend.

Another example of my expectations being violated is when I read an obituary that Sarah Silverman wrote for her dog Duck. Sarah Silverman, being my all time favorite comedian, makes a lot of serious topics and conversations light with her humor. When I saw her tweet with the obituary she wrote, I expected her to make light of an incredibly sad loss. My expectations were violated when I read the obituary and a tear came to my eye. The violation was positive for me because I was able to relate it to my relationship with my own dog.

Check out this video below of Sarah Silverman being her funny, comedic self and compare it to the more serious Sarah Silverman we see in her obituary for Duck below the video.

Duck's Obituary