The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for communication to succeed. In other words, communication does not happen in isolation. Your needs, desires, values, personality, etc., all form the psychological context. An interaction that takes place in a classroom will be very different from one that takes place in a bar. Furniture, location, noise level, temperature, season, time of day, all are examples of factors in the environmental context.
Cultural context includes all the learned behaviors and rules that affect the interaction.
If the other person comes from a culture where long, direct eye contact signals trustworthiness, then we have in the cultural context a basis for misunderstanding. To begin to explore how to improve interpersonal communications, click here . Return to Donn King's academic home page . Check Donn's other professional activities . All rights reserved.