Significant research has investigated Jack Gibb’s model of defensive and supportive
communication, but little has explored the influence of the type of talk -- defensive or
supportive -- on perceptions of communication climate and the role that verbal
aggressiveness may play in influencing both the types of talk and these perceptions. This
thesis explored the relationship between defensive and supportive talk, verbal
aggressiveness and communication climate using a mixed-method approach. Specifically,
the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale was used to group participants for a dyadic problem
solving exercise which generated conversational data that was analyzed qualitatively.
Then, the Communication Climate Inventory was used to measure participants’
perceptions of the communication climate that emerged in their problem-solving dyad.
The findings highlight factors that may influence the perception of communication
climate. Examples of supportive talk that builds positive communication climates and
limits the effects of verbal aggressiveness and examples of defensive talk that leads to
negative communication climates are provided. This research demonstrates that language
has an influence on communication climate through the words that shape the complex
ways people perceive and understand each other and, interestingly, that the negative
impact of defensive communication overrides the positive impact of supportive
communication on the emergent communication climate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/20549 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Hajdasz, Peter A. |
| Contributors | Lennox-Terrion, Jenepher |
| Publisher | Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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