3. Attribution Theory
(a theory from earlier)
We can make hypotheses or attributions about a
person’s ‘mood’ from the manner in which they
communicate.
1. Do you know anyone that is ‘always in a bad
mood’, or ‘always in a good mood’?
2. What is it about their communication that
‘gives this away’?
4. Another way in which to think about
communication (page 1 in today’s pack)
5. Can a person be ‘passive’ and
‘aggressive’ at the same time?
• Watch this counselling clip again.
• Remember Tannen’s (2007) synthesis of
solidarity and control maneuvers (sic) from last
time?
• Tannen (2007) identified that many
communications can be ‘ambiguous’ and
‘polysemous’.
1. Do you think Passive/Aggressive
communications are an example of these terms?
6. Breaking passive/aggressive down
• Read Haarn’s (2011) examples of
passive/aggressive behaviours (pages 1&2 in
excerpt 2 in today’s pack).
1. Do you know anyone who exhibits these
behaviours?
2. Think about your attitude towards your
studies… Are you brave enough to admit to any?
3. Where do you think ‘passive/aggressive’
attitudes and behaviours ‘come from’?
7. Communication Styles and Attachment
Theory
• P/A preferences are influenced by our
understandings of the operation of ‘power’ in
social situations.
• P/A preferences might emerge as a result of our
historical dynamic interactions, particularly with
‘parental’ (read ‘powerful’) figures.
• Being overly fearful of consequences as a result
of insecure attachments (‘unsureness’)might lead
us to mediate our communications along P/A
lines? (i.e. those outlined by Haarn (2011).
