The Effect of Aging on Susceptibility to Infection
Studying communication is a complex process because communication appears to be “a fluid and intricate process that is inherently intertwined with psychological, sociological, and biological forces” (Horan & Afifi, 2014, p. 384). However, while sociological and psychological features of communication are put into the focus of the researchers’ attention and are studied constantly, biology frequently turns up to be excluded in favor of these two more common perspectives.
For this reason communibiological approach in the communication theory is very often unfairly underestimated. Yet, every human interaction starts with biological predispositions, which influence the mode of communication to a great extent, and the mode of communication, in its turn, as well, influences human beings physiologically. Communibiological approach to communication suggests that a lot of important structures of our individual communication behavior have genetic predisposition and, for this reason, are difficult to change (Boren & Veksler, 2011). Namely, this particular approach implies that human beings inherit certain biological traits, which strongly affect how they communicate with others. According to many communibiologists, the importance of this approach is defined by the fact that it focuses not on what communication techniques one can easily learn and apply in everyday situations, but on the traits that are inherited genetically and are extremely hard to change.
Even though communibiologists stick to the point that communication behavior of human beings is biologically determined, they do not deny the fact that it is also culturally shaped. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between and despite of the fact that communibiological approach and social learning theory push the discussion about communication into somewhat opposite directions, these two theories contribute to each other and create a comprehensive picture of communication process.Commmunibiological approach to communication refers to a number of recent advances in psychobiology and neurobiology, which allow questioning generality of the social learning model and give a right to admit the major role of genetics in individual communication behavior. McCroskey & Beatty (2000), for example, to the role of neurological systems and cerebral functioning in communication behavior and associated processes. The main aspect responsible for individual communication behavior is defined by the researchers as inborn neurobiological structures. The two communibiologists estimated that situational, cultural and environmental factors determine only 20 percent of individual communication behavior.
The rest 80 percent of communication behavior, according to this research, is the product of genetic inheritance. This raises a fair question of how communication under such circumstances can be taught. As fairly noticed by McCroskey & Beatty (2000), answer to such a question lies in the anatomy of human brain. Communication apprehension is determined by such interrelated neurobiological systems of human emotion as the behavioral activation or approach system, the behavioral inhibition system, and the fight or flight system (p. 3). Emotional traits in this respect are generally perceived as those which reflect low thresholds for activating these systems. The three emotional systems, mentioned before, are proved by communibiologists …
