Nonverbal Communication: Notes on the Visual Perception of Human Relations

by Jurgen Ruesch, Weldon Kees

205 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was odd. It's from 1969. I believe the premise is that there are three types of nonverbal communication that are just as or more so important than words spoken in communication. However, I was expecting body language, and this is not necessarily about body language at all. They're talking about sign language, in a broader sense than the sign language used by the deaf. Like how we view signs, give gestures like peace or ok hand signals... odd. Action language, how we just move our bodies. Like how you walk can communicate your mood. And finally, object language, how we present ourselves, decorate our spaces, letter signs.

I think what was most interesting was the topic on how mental disorders manifest in our faces, like wow. But, it did get me thinking... because this sort of idea is not taught/discussed/communicated, and people who don't naturally pick up on these things (autism spectrum, for example)... but in 1969 you were deemed an idiot if you didn't pick up on them. Just an interesting shift in paradigm and truly, which came first, the chicken or the egg... are we more on the "spectrum" because we don't spot these things or do we not spot these things because we are on the spectrum? Either way, they're definitely not explicitly taught. But why would you assume everyone has the same interpretation anyway?

Just, odd.