Expectancy Violations Theory by Judee Burgoon

This theory is about how distance can affect communication. This doesn’t only concern being too far for someone to hear you or being to near that you don’t need to yell at them. This concern the question of ‘Personal Space’ or the distance one feels comfortable with another person.

There are four levels of distances;
· Intimate distance: 0-18 inches, with a significant other or close family and friend.
· Personal distance: 18 inches- 4 feet, family and friends.
· Social distances: 4-10 feet, other acquaintances.
· Public distance: 10 feet to infinity, other people.

From the name itself, it’s idea is that when someone does something that isn’t expected of them, it has its consequences, both good and bad. Space from one another could either put someone at ease or make them uncomfortable depending on three important criterions.
· Context: certain culture’s standard of distance, what is considered acceptable in a certain society.
· Relationships: the intimacy between the speaker and the listener.
· Communication Characteristics: person’s appearance or personality.

One other important thing to concentrate on is the importance or the value of the interaction. As we talk to someone, we evaluate their action and words if it is appropriate for their discussion. This is called ‘Violation Valence’, which compares the interaction to the valence value of elements on the periodic table, which determines whether they can interact with each other or not. Everything being exchanged in the conversation could be misinterpreted and misunderstood by the listener. After the exchange, comes the evaluation of the entire interaction and its value after the positive and negative results. This is called ‘Communication Reward Valence’. It depends on the listener whether they should punish the speaker or reward them for what they did.