Expectancy Violations Theory

Expectancy Violations Theory attempts to explain one’s reactions to unexpected behavior of their peers, and the various meanings that people attribute to the violation, or infringement, of their personal space. If one breaks down the theory it becomes easier to understand. An expectancy is what people predict will happen, rather than what they desire. A violation is a breach, infringement, or transgression as of law, rule, promise, etc. What one can infer from these definitions is that expectancy violation is a breach or violation of a person prediction. This theory sees communication as the exchange of information that is high in relational content and can be used to violate the expectations of another who will perceive the exchange either positively or negatively, depending upon the liking between the two people. Expectancies are primarily based upon social norms and specific characteristics of the communicators. Such expectancies can come directly from the current interaction but are often formed by a person's initial stance determined by a blend of person requirements (biological/survival needs), expectations (normative schemata) and desires (likes and dislikes) or 'RED'. This is known as a person's interaction position (IP). Violations of expectancies cause arousal and compel the recipient to initiate a series of cognitive appraisals of the violation. The theory proposes that expectancy will influence the outcome of the communication as positive or negative and predicts that positive violations increase the attraction of the violator and negative violations decrease the attraction of the violator.