Appraisal models of intercultural communication apprehension among sojourners

ABSTRACT

We used R. S. Lazarus’ (Emotion and Adaptation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991) appraisal theory of emotions to propose a theoretical model of anxiety, upon which we built two empirical models centering on intercultural communication apprehension (ICA), distinguished by timing. We tested the models in three samples: Chinese in the US (N = 268), US Americans who studied abroad (N = 419), and US Americans in the US (N = 515). The models achieved good fit. The results showed that during an anticipated or actual intercultural interaction, people had multiple, potentially conflicting goals. The goal-related appraisals of the situation resulted in emotional reactions, such as ICA, as well as coping strategies. ICA and coping further influenced people’s immediacy behaviors and the intention to interact. Our empirical models supported the utility of the theoretical framework for all three samples, and provided advice for practitioners to improve sojourners’ time abroad.

KEYWORDS:

• Intercultural communication apprehension
• appraisal
• emotion
• goal
• sojourners

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Rong Ma is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on the role of social identities in interpersonal and mediated communication.

Dale Hample is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland. His research studies how people take conflict personally in interpersonal interactions, the processes of interpersonal arguing, particularly the role of argument frames and emotions in interpersonal exchange, and inventional capacity, or the number of things an individual can say in an interpersonal exchange. His most recent book is Interpersonal Arguing (Peter Lang, 2018).