Kinesics
Kinesics is the study of body and facial movements as they relate to verbal and nonverbal communication, often referred to as "body language." This field, rooted in linguistic anthropology, seeks to understand how different cultures use gestures, postures, and expressions to convey meaning. Developed in the 1950s by American anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell, kinesics analyzes nonverbal behavior to gain insights into cultural practices and human interactions. Key components of kinesics include emblems, illustrators, regulators, affective displays, and adaptors. Emblems are gestures with specific meanings that can differ across cultures, while illustrators support verbal messages. Regulators help manage the flow of conversation, and affective displays express emotions through physical cues. Adaptors are subconscious movements that reveal an individual's inner state, such as nervousness or defensiveness. Kinesics is applied in various fields, including law enforcement and business, to enhance understanding and communication in interpersonal interactions.
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Subject Terms
Kinesics
Kinesics is the study and interpretation of body and facial movements as they relate to both verbal and nonverbal communication. “Kinesics” is the anthropological term for “body language” and is used in linguistic anthropology to interpret how members of different cultures employ gesture, posture, and stance as well as body movement and facial expression to communicate. Kinesics is also used as an interrogation tool in law enforcement and in business as an assessment tool when interviewing potential employees.
Overview
Kinesics was first developed as a research field in the 1950s by American anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell (1918–94), who believed that body and facial movements could be analyzed to derive meaning. He and other social scientists and linguists studied nonverbal movement and behavior as a form of communication in order to learn more about cultures and human behavior. Birdwhistell’s research led to the development of five specific areas of kinesics, which social scientists, interrogators, and interviewers use to determine meaning from body movement: emblems, illustrators, regulators, affective displays, and adaptors.
Emblems are body and facial expressions that translate directly into a verbal message. An emblem’s meaning may vary from culture to culture. For example, touching the forefinger to the thumb denotes “okay” in many western cultures, yet it is an insulting gesture in Russia and Turkey.
Illustrators are nonverbal indicators that support verbal messages. They tend to be more universal in meaning from culture to culture, such as shaking one’s head from side to side while indicating a negative response verbally.
Regulators are movements that help regulate verbal communication and help to maintain or suspend the flow of communication. For example, nodding one’s head can encourage verbal exchange, but looking at the floor or stepping away from the speaker can indicate that a conversation is over.
Affective displays, which convey emotion, tend to be registered through facial expressions and body posture. Pushing eyebrows together, for example, can indicate confusion or anger. Slouching shoulders can signify boredom or depression.
The final area of kinesics used to decipher nonverbal language is adaptors, which are usually performed with a very low level of awareness and are therefore considered the key to understanding what an individual is truly thinking. They include posture and gestures that are usually done involuntarily and often with the goal of relieving tension. Bouncing a knee, twisting strands of hair, or scratching can indicate nervousness. Holding oneself or crossing one’s arms can indicate anger or aggression or a need to be protected.
Bibliography
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