{"id":211,"date":"2015-08-25T21:42:59","date_gmt":"2015-08-25T21:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/introductiontocommunication1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=211"},"modified":"2016-02-08T19:59:42","modified_gmt":"2016-02-08T19:59:42","slug":"communication-climate","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-introductiontocommunication\/chapter\/communication-climate\/","title":{"raw":"Communication Climate","rendered":"Communication Climate"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n

Interpersonal Communication Now<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

\u201cSticks and Stones Can Beak my Bones But Words Can Hurt Me Too\u201d<\/h3>\r\nIn a study published in the journal Science<\/em>, researchers reported that the sickening feeling we get when we are socially rejected (being ignored at a party or passed over when picking teams) is real. When researchers measured brain responses to social stress they found a pattern similar to what occurs in the brain when our body experiences physical pain. Specifically, \u201cthe area affected is the anterior cingulated cortex, a part of the brain known to be involved in the emotional response to pain\u201d (Fox). The doctor who conducted the study, Matt Lieberman, a social psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, \u201cIt makes sense for humans to be programmed this way. . .Social interaction is important to survival.\u201d\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nDo you feel organized, or confined, in a clean workspace? Are you more productive when the sun is shining than when it\u2019s gray and cloudy outside? Just as factors like weather and physical space impact us, communication climate influences our interpersonal interactions. Communication climate<\/b> is the \u201coverall feeling or emotional mood between people\u201d<\/i> (Wood 245). If you dread going to visit your family during the holidays because of tension between you and your sister, or you look forward to dinner with a particular set of friends because they make you laugh, you are responding to the communication climate\u2014the overall mood that is created because of the people involved and the type of communication they bring to the interaction. Let\u2019s look at two different types of communication climates: Confirming and Disconfirming climates.\r\n
\r\n

Confirming and Disconfirming Climates<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\nPositive and negative climates can be understood along three dimensions\u2014recognition, acknowledgement, and endorsement. We experience Confirming Climates<\/b> when we receive messages that demonstrate our value and worth from those with whom we have a relationship<\/i>. Conversely, we experience Disconfirming Climates<\/b> when we receive messages that suggest we are devalued and unimportant<\/i>. Obviously, most of us like to be in confirming climates because they foster emotional safety as well as personal and relational growth. However, it is likely that your relationships fall somewhere between the two extremes. Let\u2019s look at three types of messages that create confirming and disconfirming climates.\r\n