MediaSpace Wiki

Interpersonal Session Six

Note the addition of "lecture notes" in the header of the course syllabus: http://davis.foulger.info/oswego/Fall2002/Interpersonal/index.htm

• The Communication Origins of Self.
  • Interaction with others
    • Parents and family
      • Life scripts
      • Direct definition
    • Friends
      • Reflected appraisal - the looking glass self
    • Groups
      • Roles we assume and play
      • Labels we accept and apply to ourselves
  • Labels
    • Self-reflexiveness
    • Self-fulfilling prophecy
  • Your personality
    • Your genetic inheritance
      • Shyness
      • Communication apprehension
      • Willingness to communicate
• The Social Construction of Self
  • Family, Friends, Community, Workplace, and Society
• Self-Esteem (self-worth)
  • Often based on our comparison of ourselves to others
  • Often reinforced by our interactions with others
  • We can raise our self-esteem through our communication
    • Self-talk
    • Visualization
    • Avoid Comparisons
    • Reframe your experiences
    • Find friends and conversational partners who
      • Listen
      • Don’t judge
      • Offer alternative perspectives
    • Let go of the past
      • The future is about what you do rather than what you did
      • Understand
      • Accept
      • Forgive
      • Move on
      • Remember that our perceptions don't always match the facts
    • Seek support

--- Things to be careful of

• Assuming that we know what others are thinking
  • Specific others
  • Generalized others
• Self-criticism
  • Self-Fulfilling prophecy
• Selective exposure
  • Seek alternatives
• The pressure of needs
  • For inclusion
  • For control
  • For affection
• Balancing assertiveness and responsiveness

• Select four words that you feel describe who you are.
• On an index card, use each word in a sentence that describes some aspect of who you are.
• Underline the four words.

• The Johari Window: