Determining Stereotypes about the Gender Identity in Interpersonal Communication Process: A Research On Body Language Of the Communication Source

From the moment an individual becomes a part of social life, all the interpersonal and intergroup relations take place according to individual’s gender role and gender identity given by society to the individual. Individual’s gender identity has an important role on the shaping of the communication established also in interpersonal communication process. On the other hand, when interpersonal communication is considered as a mutual process of constructing meanings, effect of gender roles defined by social structure and gender stereotypes resulting from these roles on communication process cannot be ignored. Because individuals’ way of making sense of persons or events they encounter is not independent of the ethos of social structure, which they belong, and stereotypes in this ethos. Conducted within this context, the study aims to determine stereotypes related to the gender identity of male and female communication source in interpersonal communication process. These stereotypes were analysed in terms of communication resource’s body language characteristics. For the purpose of determining the content of stereotypes, first, a pilot research was conducted and a list, which includes adjectives that describes stereotypes related to communication source on different levels, was prepared. After this, a questionnaire study was carried out with three adjectives, which describe stereotypes about male and female communication source at the highest level. Through the means of the questionnaire, both stereotypes about the various features of male and female communication sources, and emotions related to stereotypes in the communication process were measured. In the last phase of the study, stereotypes related to male and female communication source, comparative tables and analyses conducted with various demographic characteristics of participants were presented based on the findings