The Influence of Biological Sex, Self-Esteem, and Communication Apprehension on Unwillingness to Communicate

Role identity influences communication behaviors, particularly unwillingness to communicate, or the tendency to avoid oral communication, a phenomenon that communication instructors observe in many of their students. This investigation explores the effect of biological sex, self-esteem, and communication apprehension on the reward and approach-avoidance dimensions of unwillingness to communicate. Multiple regression analyses revealed significant relationships between biological sex and self-esteem on the reward dimension and biological sex and communication apprehension on the approach-avoidance dimension. Results suggest that women and men view communication differently and may be socialized to behave differently during communication encounters. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed for communication instructors.