Dimensions of interpersonal

relationships
There are three primary dimensions to interpret IPC
messages:
1. Control
2. Affiliation
3. Activation
1. Control: involves status or social dominance. Control
can be communicated by a variety of behaviors
including touching, looking, talking and the use of
space.
Examples: (1) Supervisors touch their subordinates and
not vice versa
 Dimensions of interpersonal relationships

(2) in many cultures excessive looking

behaviors are viewed as attempts to ‘stare
down’ the other person to exert interactional
control.
(3) High-power individuals seek and are usually
given more personal space and a larger
territory to control than the low-power
counterparts.
(4) Excessive eye contact may also indicate the
love scene.
 Continued……

Control is conveyed through various words

of address: we don’t address doctors,
teachers by their first name or you call
them Doctor, Professor, Mr. or Ms. We call
adults with respect otherwise it dose not
show any respect.
United States and Germany: private offices
on top floors and the corners of most
businesses are reserved for the highest
ranking officials and executives.
 Continued……

Executives typically prefer an office that is

centrally located in the middle of their
surroundings if possible, in order to stay
informed and to control the flow of activities.
2. Affiliation: affiliation is an evaluative
component that indicates a person’s
willingness to approach or avoid others.
Members of a culture use affiliation to
interpret the degree of friendliness, ,liking,
social warmth or immediacy that is being
communicated.
 Continued……

Affiliation can be expressed through

1. Eye contact 2. open body stances 3.
leaning forward, 4. close physical
proximity, 5. touching, 6. smiling, 7. a
friendly tone of voice, and other
communication behaviors.
1. High- context cultures (show high degree of
affiliation)
2. low-context- cultures (show low degree of
affiliation)
 High-Context Communication
…..many things are left unsaid, letting
the culture explain. 
…..important and intended meanings
are expressed through nonverbal
communication.
….. The receiver of the message
“reads between the lines,” so as to
grasp the intended meaning of the
message in its entirety. “ (Jimmy Carter
and PM Begin’s example)
 High-Context Communication
1. tend to stand closer, touch more and have
fewer barriers such as desks and doors to
separate themselves from others.
2 They live in warmer climates, as South
America, Arab cultures and Indonesia.
3. High context refers to societies or
groups where people have close
connections over a long period of time.
 Low Context Communication

In a low-context culture, the words

themselves are more important than the
surrounding social context. This means
that nonverbal communication, while still
very important in understanding others is
less important than it is in high-context
cultures.
 Low/High Context Communication
High context culture: information lies in
the context, it need not be verbalized.
The talk goes around the point. Speech
is unhurried and long, as persuasion
takes time. Free interpretation is allowed
Low context culture: the topic is handled
straightforwardly. The listener wants to
get lots of information, and to have it at
once
 3. Activation

The ways people react to the world around

them. Some people seem very quick, excitable,
energetic and lively; others value calmness,
peacefulness and a sense of inner control.
Example: among many of the Black tribes of
Southern Africa, loud speaking is considered
inappropriate. Similarly, among Malaysians, too
much talk and forcefulness on the part of t he
adult speaker is disapproved. A terse and
harmonious delivery is approved.