communicating Across boundaries
Boundaries are everywhere. Boundaries surround careers, streets, property and especially people. They are social, political, cultural and professional. One of the first things we learn as children is to stay within the lines; never overstep our boundaries. Communicating within one's boundaries can be difficult. Even more complicated however, is attempting to communicate across those boundaries. Miscommunication and misunderstanding are common when members of different groups converse (Mulac, Erlandson, Farrer, & Hallettet, 1998). Uncertainty in communication occurs especially with communication across gender boundaries. Men and women must follow boundary rules when communicating. Boundary rules are social conventions that protect the primary activities of a relationship...(Wilson, Roloff & Carey, 1998). Men and women also have certain roles in society that can affect these boundaries. When people communicate in a way that is not congruent with their role, then miscommunication may occur. At the core of many of these miscommunication instances is the problem that the exact same two words can carry different meaning for those involved in the conversation. When this occurs, it is as if the participants possess differe
Stereotypically, masculinity and femininity are the norms. When a person changes the meaning of a message, boundaries remain restricted and impermeable. When girls are together there is a tendency to lean towards group agreement and harmony. The Wilson study was a sample drawn only from the United States, so it is of no use when examining cross-cultural boundaries. However, it did pose some questions regarding the issues created by boundary rules. If people of the same culture can not consent on the meaning of the same word, then crossing the cultural boundary successfully when communicating must seem impossible. Communicating across boundaries can be a very difficult thing. When individuals communicate across boundaries, whether they are personal, sexual, or even cultural, they must put their messages together in a way that minimizes negative reaction. It was reported that out of 100 respondents, many (46%) had a problem with their friends romantic partners' daily habits. This study found that if one were to communicate these problems across the boundaries, their friend would get upset. Communication Research, 25, pp 641-668.
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