Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Expectancy Violation Theory, Caleb Fugate

Communication Student Scholarship

Whether someone is standing too close when conversing or an unexpected kiss because it is someone else’s cultural norm, expectancy violations happen often. Expectancy Violation Theory understands communication as an exchange of content that violates another person’s expectations. This violation is then perceived by the violated person as either good or bad. Understanding the different aspects of this theory will shed light on how people react when their expectations have been violated. To understand this theory this essay will describe Burgoon’s understanding of expectancy and violation, as well as give an example of an expectation violation.