When a message occurs, it can also reveal associated meaning. Let us assume two couples do exactly the same amount of kissing and arguing. But one couple always kisses after an argument and the other couple always argues after a kiss. The ordering of the behaviors may mean a great deal more than the frequency of the behavior. A friend’s unusually docile behavior may only be understood by noting that it was preceded by situations that required an abnormal amount of assertiveness. Some responses may be directly linked to a developing pattern of responses and defy logic. For example, a person who says “No” to a series of charges like “You're dumb,” "You' re lazy” and "You’ re dishonest,” may also say “No!” and try to justify his or her response if the next statement is “And you' re good looking.”
4 The conditions accompanying any given message are also influential factors in assessing the meaning of messages. For example, the meaning of “you’re crazy” may vary greatly depending on whether it is said in the context of a psychiatric evaluation, a marital quarrel, or a playful gesture by a friend. "OK, let' s step outside” may mean something very different to two men at a ski lodge wishing to determine the weather conditions or two men in a bar who are arguing intensely. It is also the analysis of the situation that informs us that the statement. “It's cold in here,” is not an observation but really a request to close the window.