Process
Outgoing and dynamic
System
Interrelated parts that affect one another
Openness
A system is affected by outside factors and processes
Homeostasis
They strive for but cannot sustain equilibrium
Symbols
Abstract, arbitrary, and ambiguous representations of other things
Meanings
Significances we bestow on phenomena, or what they signify to us
Content level of meaning
Contains the literal message
Relationship level of meaning
Expresses the relationship between communicators
Feedback
Response to a message
Communication
A systematic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings