Dyssemia

A language is a set of symbols whose meanings are agreed on by those who use them. The word ball can be used to communicate to others about a ball without actually having that object in hand to show them. The word acts as a symbol or sign for that object. It is easy to understand how verbal language works. Less obvious is that nonverbal signs can function much like words do. For example, just as the word smile is a sign for the emotion of happiness, a physical smile is an external sign for an internal state of pleasure or joy. Nonverbal signs can be clearer and more powerful than words, especially when they reflect feelings. Although every verbal language has different words for smile, the actual behavior of smiling is accepted as a sign of happiness across most all cultures and across past and present time. This is known as nonverbal language.

Some people have mild or serious difficulties receiving or sending verbal cues; likewise, some have trouble receiving or sending nonverbal language cues. Stephen Nowicki and Marshall Duke coined the term dyssemia (dys = inability; semia = to read or send signs) to refer to these deficits. There can be receptive dyssemias (difficulties in reading nonverbal cues) or expressive dyssemias (deficits in sending nonverbal cues) in any or all of the nonverbal channels. Individuals who have difficulty either reading or sending emotional cues nonverbally are the focus of this entry.

All languages have receptive and expressive components. To receive, one must learn to decipher or decode the meaning of signs and symbols that others send. In verbal language, this means trying to figure out the meanings of written or spoken words. Significant difficulty in accurately reading word cues and signs is called dyslexia (dys = inability; lexia = verbal signs or words). To express something, one must send or encode meaningful signs and symbols to others. In verbal language, this is done by speaking and writing. Serious deficits in the ability to generate and use appropriate words—for instance, being able to identify fingers on a hand but not being able to come up with the word hand—are often called expressive aphasias.

Just as verbal language has receptive and expressive aspects, so does nonverbal language. Receptive nonverbal language skill refers to the ability to accurately perceive the nonverbal cues of others by, for example, looking at their facial expressions or listening to their tones of voice. The important companion skill to receiving nonverbal information is learning to express the appropriate nonverbal cues through a variety of channels.

There are several important differences between nonverbal and verbal communication that can produce significant social impact. First, whenever the verbal and nonverbal messages do not agree in emotional tone, people are more prone to believe the nonverbal one. Nonverbal cues are not only more likely to be believed, they are also more continuous than verbal ones. Paul Watzlawick and colleagues have suggested that “you cannot not communicate nonverbally” (1967, p. 49). There are social implications of the fact that facial expressions, postures, and gestures never stop communicating emotional information.

...