Looking Out, Looking In: Chapters III & IV

Wow your back for more!

This week’s topics are on Chapters 3 and 4 of the book, Looking Out, Looking In.

Now to just keep my post under 300 words, let’s begin!

 

Perception:

What You See Is What You Get

Chapter 3



Example for empathy!

The chapter starts off with the perception process, but before jumping into that, what is perception? My personal definition of perception is how we understand something in our own point-of-view. The process is how we go about using our perceptions in everyday life. The process includes selection, organization, interpretation, and negotiation. Selection is what we choose to pay attention to. Organization is arranging our selections that we have into categories so we can make sense out of what we have. Interpretation shows how we choose to understand what is in front of us. An example of interpretation can be based on someone you don’t know smiling at you. This simple action can be taken in as a romantic action or plain friendly. Our views and or thoughts of others can cause a change in our perception; this would be the negotiation process. Based on whether a friend doesn’t like a certain person, your perception on them way be swayed. The terms empathy and sympathy are two words that caught my eye. The both seem to mean the same thing, but are completely different. Sympathy is what you view another person’s situation to be in your own point of view, while empathy is where you view it from that person’s perspective. When you sympathize, it’s the others persons feelings of happiness or pain. When you empathize you can feel that person’s happiness or pain, if only for a moment.



Emotions:

Feeling, Thinking, And Communicating

Chapter 4

In this chapter there is a section called, guidelines for expressing emotions. We all have emotions, but how we would express them may be limited. Here are some tips the book shows on how you can expand your feelings. The first was recognizing your feelings; an example is by asking yourself “how do you feel?” Others include recognizing the difference between feeling, talking, and acting, expanding your emotional vocabulary, share multiple feelings, consider when and where to express your feelings, accept responsibility for your feelings, and be mindful of the communication channel. The communication channel, which was from chapter 1, is how we are sending the message, such as through a text, email, blogging. When using these channels for example certain words mean certain things. Perfect example is when putting letters in all caps means that you are shouting. Mistakes can’t be made but once something’s out there it’s pretty difficult to take it back. Facilitative and debilitative is described as the negative feelings that we hold and how we tend to handle them. The two main differences between the two is the intensity and the duration. Facilitative is more based on feelings such as anger that is short lived, while debilitative is long-lasting negative feelings.

Well that concludes my second assignment, I hope you enjoyed reading!

See you soon!! - Veronica

Beginnings: Chapters I & II

   Welcome, you lucky viewer!

This is officially the beginning of my blog page!

Through this blog, I'm going to posting information about the book below.

Today my main focus is on chapters one and two. Lets start off with chapter 1 shall we?

 

 

A First Look At Interpersonal Communication: Chapter 1

 

This chapter mainly explains how we need communication in our lives and without it, we would have major complications. A psychologist by the name of, Abraham Maslow, explained how our needs are put into five hierarchical categories. In order to fulfill our needs, we have to take care of our fundamental needs before the others. A clearer explanation of this theory is shown above. Therefore, we must start from the bottom of the pyramid and work our way to the top, slowly achieving each need.

The next section of the book shows the two views on how we exchange messages with others around us, which are the linear and transactional view. The linear view was a simpler form showing how a message is given to the receiver from the sender. Transactional is a more updated version, showing how based on the environment is how the message can be received. The environment includes more than just what is going on around the two people, but includes where they are from, and what they believe in, because these play a part in how a person accepts a message.

It is always good to know what is and isn't communication. So what is communication? I found out the it can be intentional and unintentional. Examples of intentional are when you plan to ask something from someone. The greatest unintentional that I came across is the body language of people around me. Another facts of communication are that communication is irreversible, its unrepeatable and its that it is truly impossible not to communicate. Misconception's are what communication isn't. One is sometimes less communication is best, because when we say too much we can hinder the situation more than help it. One other is that it cannot solve all problems, meaning no matter how we plan to say it, we cannot always have it done the way we want.

Finally, interpersonal communication is defined by number of people involved which is called quantitative. A dyad, is described as when to people are talking. Complications can arise in the meaning of quantitative, because some conversations are very short, while some are impersonal that they shouldn't even count such as running into someone and quickly saying sorry, but continuing on your way. The qualitative definition is based on how we treat another person as unique, irreplaceable, interdependent, disclosing, and intrinsically rewarding. These can be rare even in our closest relationships.

The last topic I want to talk about from chapter one is communication competence. This term refers how in the things we do its a balancing act. Being great at something and terrible at another, this is applied to how we treat people. Example when someone looks out for others, but doesn't have the same aspect in caring for themselves. The problem with balancing, I found is that not every person is the same, so treating that person in the way that is best for them makes the balancing act difficult to perfect.

 

 

Communication & Identity:

Creating & Presenting the Self

Chapter 2

 

 

The topics in this that really stuck out to me include self-concept, self-esteem, the big 5, and the perceived and presenting self.

Self-concept is defined as the characteristics that we assign ourselves. These characteristics are what makes us who we are and take anything out, would cause you not to be who you really are. Self-esteem then shows what you think of the characterise that you assigned for yourself. For example, I say "I am cautious because I'm afraid." By saying this I am presenting myself to have a low self-esteem. By saying that I am cautious, because I like to be extra careful; I can say that I have a high self-esteem.

The "Big Five" Personality Traits is pretty much a system where we are put into little categories based on who we are. Some of these traits are easier to accept then compared to others. Using myself as an example once again. I discovered out that I'm an antagonistic, which is kinda hard to accept... and something I'm not proud of. Although hearing that I'm Open, pretty excited to hear about that!

Finally, our last topic is our perceived and presenting selves or how I like to call them, private and public self, respectfully. The public and private shows that while your in public you show people only one side of you, but while your in private you wouldn't show things that you regularly do. I'm not using myself as an example on this touchy subject. Another example of private is that you would find yourself to be not as smart, pretty or even your goals that can be a little fickle, because those show who you really are which can mainly be bad. Though, we do tend to show our "true" selves to our family, maybe not friends, and significant other.

 

 

So that's pretty much what I learned in Chapters 1 & 2

Till I get my next assignment, goodbye for now!