Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
4-20-2011
Abstract
The social interpretation of interpersonal communication through a global perspective provides insights into human adaptation. By focusing on the cultural adaptations of members of sports teams, one can view the amazing variety of approaches to the adaptation process. This study identified sports teams at Valparaiso University having a mix of cultures especially global in origin. Through interviews and focus groups, these global representatives of various cultures described the ways the teams have developed their mutual adaptation approaches. The theories of Speech Act, Social Constructionism, and Internationalism were primarily taken from the Hansen-Horn and Neff text: Public Relations: From Theory to Practice. The PR Strategy and Application text by Coombs and Holladay provided the foundation for understanding the development of relationships culturally. Thus, how these team members were able to move to a more integrative, yet a mutually beneficial concept of a relationship explains greatly how public relations functions. It is through the context of the speech act (culture, relationship, episode) that Social Constructionism theory describes how communication co-creates meaning to enable individuals to survive as a team. The creation of meaning through human interactions offers routes to redefine, refine, reformulate, and restructure the approaches to communication. Of course, the International Public Relations cultural theory provides the groundwork for describing the means to adapt to the cross-cultural differences and issues.
Recommended Citation
Antonijevic, Stefan, "The Social Interpretation of Interpersonal Communication through a Global Perspective: A Valpo Sports Team Case Study" (2011). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 34.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/34
Biographical Information about Author(s)
Link is to abstract only.