The concept of interactivity is interesting to me because it is only recently that mass media have employed this way of communication. Sarah Trenholm defines interactivity as an opportunity where receivers get the chance to engage with the senders by responding to polls, posting comments, sending e-mails etc. Our communication class is actually participating in interactivity at this very moment. Every week each student publishes posts about the week's topic and each student must also respond to those posts. Well, the responses that we do describes interactivity. Because of interactivity, the traditional mass media is not a one-way channel of communication any more, it allows communication through mass media to be two-way where anyone can respond to an article or a television show. Another example of interactivity would be how viewers can respond to MTV shows. If you visit MTV.com, you can view full episodes of their shows and type or comments clip by clip. This is a neat thing because MTV producers get to read how their viewers are responding to their shows and make necessary changes to get better viewing ratings. Another example of interactivity that I see in today's society is Facebook. Facebook allows their users to pose updates about their daily life and viewers, such as friends, can respond to those posts.
Sarah Trenholm also mentions the concept of "wiki". Wiki is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or edit and change all the content. Sites like Wikipedia, or Wikianswers are good examples of those sites. Before reading this chapter, I never understood why those sites have "Wiki" in the beginning, but now I understand the meaning of the word "wiki". Haha very interesting.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Week 15, Question 2: "Cool" and "Hot" are Subjective
I agree with Marshall McLuhan when he stated that, "the medium is the message." McLuhan believed the channel of delivery is just as important as the message and that the channel determines the content that will be delivered. I agree some channel or form of delivery is compatible with certain kinds of messages. For an example, newspapers can only deliver messages that can be reported in words, like world events, history, information about people etc. Newspapers can't really describe concerts very well. Those just have to be seen. But with television, there's so many messages that can be delivered, not just news. With television, we can see moving pictures, moving words, moving emotions etc. Everything on television is like as if we are right there experiencing those moments broadcasted. It's best to broadcast a concert rather than write about it.
McLuhan also refers to television as a "cool medium." When I think of "cool" and television, I think of those people who are on reality shows such as "Real World," "America's Next Top Model," etc. Those people are willing to broadcast their life is "cool." But the word "cool" is also very subjective. The meaning of cool is defined for the whole society by people who own television. So "cool" is not so much how society defines but rather how television makes society perceive "coolness". Over the years of watching television and the types of characters they portray, it seems like the "cool" are people who are out there in terms of being talkative, outspoken, partiers, wild cats, and every now and then they actually do have a character who is "goody-two-shoes." Shows like Gossip Girls or 90210 is a good example of how television define the word "cool." The characters on these shows are rich, beautiful, skinny, Caucasian etc. I feel that television broadcast certain people to guarantee good "drama" that people can enjoy and good television ratings. Sometimes, a "cool" television can refer to how people see the characters on TV. People can view those characters as how they want to be in real life but can't because their real life situations limit their ability to fully express themselves.
McLuhan also says that characters who are "hot" are more suitable for radio. When I first heard of "hot" and radio, I think of characters who create controversy or can say statements in such a way that arouses emotions of all kinds. I listen to the radio sometimes and mostly I just hear talk show hosts who can verbally express statements that gets people thinking or active about something.
The concept of "cool television" or "hot radio" is very new to me, but it makes sense in today's society.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
McLuhan also refers to television as a "cool medium." When I think of "cool" and television, I think of those people who are on reality shows such as "Real World," "America's Next Top Model," etc. Those people are willing to broadcast their life is "cool." But the word "cool" is also very subjective. The meaning of cool is defined for the whole society by people who own television. So "cool" is not so much how society defines but rather how television makes society perceive "coolness". Over the years of watching television and the types of characters they portray, it seems like the "cool" are people who are out there in terms of being talkative, outspoken, partiers, wild cats, and every now and then they actually do have a character who is "goody-two-shoes." Shows like Gossip Girls or 90210 is a good example of how television define the word "cool." The characters on these shows are rich, beautiful, skinny, Caucasian etc. I feel that television broadcast certain people to guarantee good "drama" that people can enjoy and good television ratings. Sometimes, a "cool" television can refer to how people see the characters on TV. People can view those characters as how they want to be in real life but can't because their real life situations limit their ability to fully express themselves.
McLuhan also says that characters who are "hot" are more suitable for radio. When I first heard of "hot" and radio, I think of characters who create controversy or can say statements in such a way that arouses emotions of all kinds. I listen to the radio sometimes and mostly I just hear talk show hosts who can verbally express statements that gets people thinking or active about something.
The concept of "cool television" or "hot radio" is very new to me, but it makes sense in today's society.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Monday, April 27, 2009
Week 15, Question 1: Cyberspace friendships vs. Real Life Friends
I have been using the internet for more 9 years now for multiple occasions: e-mail, networking sites, and for school. I have made friendships that existed exclusively in cyberspace. For an example, San Jose State University has a website called Blackboard, made exclusively for students taking online classes. I am currently enrolled in 2 online classes so I am on Blackboard more than 4 times a week for my classes. Because I and other online students, are required to be on Blackboard, I have made friends with some of my classmates. These "friends" are more like acquaintances; we are there to support each other academically. I have never made "friends" with someone in cyberspace in such a way where I feel comfortable sharing my personal information with. The relationship that I do have with my classmates on Blackboard is a combination of professional and casual interactions. We are formal with one another when it comes to discussing class work, but we are informal when we are talking about school, life, future, etc. To be honest, I don't trust my classmates enough to truly share how I feel about our classes and other information.
The cyberspace relationship is really different in that we don't get to see the facial or physical reactions of the other person. All we see is the words typed and we can only feel the emotions of the words through the context of our conversation. Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is being sarcastic of serious with their statements. I feel that face-to-face friendships are more valuable than cyberspace relationships. With face-to-face, it is more personal because you get to see, feel, touch, and smell the other person. They are real to you. Whereas with cyberspace, you never really know who you are talking to. Also with face-to-face relationship, there is also that immediate reaction that can seen right away. But with internet conversations, you can't tell how the other person received your message, you can only hope that they received it correctly.
I would much rather make friends in person than through cyberspace only because they are more tangible and plus I love face-to-face interactions. By the way, touch is my love language. I tend to touch people a lot because that is how I connect with people. So if I can't touch them or see them, the relationship is not connecting with me and it is not as valuable.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
The cyberspace relationship is really different in that we don't get to see the facial or physical reactions of the other person. All we see is the words typed and we can only feel the emotions of the words through the context of our conversation. Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is being sarcastic of serious with their statements. I feel that face-to-face friendships are more valuable than cyberspace relationships. With face-to-face, it is more personal because you get to see, feel, touch, and smell the other person. They are real to you. Whereas with cyberspace, you never really know who you are talking to. Also with face-to-face relationship, there is also that immediate reaction that can seen right away. But with internet conversations, you can't tell how the other person received your message, you can only hope that they received it correctly.
I would much rather make friends in person than through cyberspace only because they are more tangible and plus I love face-to-face interactions. By the way, touch is my love language. I tend to touch people a lot because that is how I connect with people. So if I can't touch them or see them, the relationship is not connecting with me and it is not as valuable.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Week 14 Question 3: Always so formal!
Reading through organizational communication was intriguing to me because we've all, at some point in our lives, have been a part of some kind of organizations. We've all contributed to the journal to reaching their missions and goals as well as been a part of the communication.
I used to work at a technology company and everything was so formal. To apply to this experienced, I was mainly interested in the formal and informal channels of communication within the organization.
The formal communication channels follow the organization structure or hierarchy. I have experienced this in my work experiences at several companies. To get things approved, an individual has to go through their supervisor, who has to report to their department manager, who then reports to the general manager etc. I understand that there needs to be structure but I feel that this sometimes can slow down the information flow -- the path information takes as it passes through the org. But in the over all picture, it is preferable to have a formal communication channel to prevent chaos.
When compared the information communication channels, the formal way is much more structured for success. The informal communication deviates from the planned communication structure when can cause gossip, clutter, and chaos. I still sometimes like a little bit of information to relieve the stress and the tension of always being so proper.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
I used to work at a technology company and everything was so formal. To apply to this experienced, I was mainly interested in the formal and informal channels of communication within the organization.
The formal communication channels follow the organization structure or hierarchy. I have experienced this in my work experiences at several companies. To get things approved, an individual has to go through their supervisor, who has to report to their department manager, who then reports to the general manager etc. I understand that there needs to be structure but I feel that this sometimes can slow down the information flow -- the path information takes as it passes through the org. But in the over all picture, it is preferable to have a formal communication channel to prevent chaos.
When compared the information communication channels, the formal way is much more structured for success. The informal communication deviates from the planned communication structure when can cause gossip, clutter, and chaos. I still sometimes like a little bit of information to relieve the stress and the tension of always being so proper.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Week 14 Question 2: Long Post about Etiquettes
Sarah Trenholm provides a list of etiquettes, created by Letitia Baldridge, for the new era of technology and information.
Among the list are etiquettes for cellular phones. It states that people should not engage in a cellular phone conversation while in a restaurants, concert, movies, or at a church service. I agree with this rule and as a matter of fact, the movies now have short movie clips just to deliver the message of turning off your cell phones. I really like those short movie clips that shows how a cell phone can ruin a scene. I myself know not to be on the phone at a restaurant or if I happen to already be in a conversation prior to entering a Starbucks, I know not to laugh or talk really loud. I have experienced people who are fully pre-occupied with their cellular conversation that they forgot they're next in line and does not know what to order (which slows down the line even more). Things like that irritate me because there are occasions where I am in a hurry and it slows me down to have someone who is not fully paying attention to his/her surroundings.
Another etiquette refers to how people should not try to make jokes, play weird music, or be flip in recorded messages. It is also not good to have answering machines that does not leave room for long messages because it can be annoying to have to make repeat calls or messages. I do agree that people should leave professional recordings to make it easier on the person leaving the message. I will admit that I do have a song playing on my voicemail and I leave it there only because the song represents something sentimental. (it’s a recording of me playing the piano). I really like the recording so I leave it there for almost 4 years now. Over those years, I've gotten good and bad feedback. But overall, I know that it is unprofessional to have music playing during in the voicemail. It is definitely more professional to say the conventional message line. But I have been pranked by some of my friends who leave jokes as their message line. Sometimes it's funny but at most times, it's not. It's actually annoying and when people get fooled, they're left with not a good mood. When I'm fooled by those pranks messages, I feel embarrassed and it makes me not even want to leave a message or ever call back. So overall, I think music is fine dependent on what kind of music, but jokes is definitely out of the question for a message line.
In regards to call waiting, I actually think that it is one of the best thing ever created for phones because now I can be on the phone with one individual and not miss a call from someone else. Call waiting is so that you will not miss important calls. But I don't think it is right to put someone on hold for too long while you have a conversation on the other line. It is best to just tell the person you will call them back when you get the chance. For an example, it is important to talk directly to your boss and not make him wait while you talk to your boyfriend. That's why it is important to also have the ability to prioritize in life.
The third etiquette refers to how people should identify themselves before they speak during a conference call and to mute yourself or lower your voice when saying joking or sarcastic comments. I have been in several serious/business conference calls before and the one thing I always remember to do is mute myself. It is always embarrassing and not good business behavior to have loud background noise or to accidentally say something silly. To prevent it all from happening, I just mute myself and then unmute when I want to talk.
The fourth etiquette talks about how people should not fax long, unannounced or unwelcomed materials. And when we do fax, we should let the recipient know prior to sending it. I never dealt with situations where faxes were sent and it was long and unannounced. But every time I fax, I always let the person know that I'm faxing it, just to ensure its delivery.
The fifth etiquette suggest that we should time our communication by timing our calls and faxes so that we do not disturb our recipient at home or during a busy time at work. This is definitely important especially if the individual is trying to make an impression. When I call in for a job position, I always make sure I call in the morning or in the late evening when business is slow or die down. Or when I am calling a business colleague, I e-mail them first to make sure that calling at a specific time is good or not.
Finally, the sixth etiquette talks about how the screen names that we choose for any internet accounts or ring tones for our phone should be appropriate. When I was in high school, I would have ring tones if popular hip-hop or r&b songs that I listen to and that use to be cool. But in the business world, it is deemed as unprofessional and immature. Therefore as I got to college, I stopped using those ringtones and just assigned normal premade ring tones in my cell phone. Also now when I create new screen names for new e-mail addresses, I make sure that it is professional and doesn't look silly. Of course when we were all in high school or younger, we want to creative in a kiddish way, but now we need to be creative in a professional way.
I hope you enjoyed this reading.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Among the list are etiquettes for cellular phones. It states that people should not engage in a cellular phone conversation while in a restaurants, concert, movies, or at a church service. I agree with this rule and as a matter of fact, the movies now have short movie clips just to deliver the message of turning off your cell phones. I really like those short movie clips that shows how a cell phone can ruin a scene. I myself know not to be on the phone at a restaurant or if I happen to already be in a conversation prior to entering a Starbucks, I know not to laugh or talk really loud. I have experienced people who are fully pre-occupied with their cellular conversation that they forgot they're next in line and does not know what to order (which slows down the line even more). Things like that irritate me because there are occasions where I am in a hurry and it slows me down to have someone who is not fully paying attention to his/her surroundings.
Another etiquette refers to how people should not try to make jokes, play weird music, or be flip in recorded messages. It is also not good to have answering machines that does not leave room for long messages because it can be annoying to have to make repeat calls or messages. I do agree that people should leave professional recordings to make it easier on the person leaving the message. I will admit that I do have a song playing on my voicemail and I leave it there only because the song represents something sentimental. (it’s a recording of me playing the piano). I really like the recording so I leave it there for almost 4 years now. Over those years, I've gotten good and bad feedback. But overall, I know that it is unprofessional to have music playing during in the voicemail. It is definitely more professional to say the conventional message line. But I have been pranked by some of my friends who leave jokes as their message line. Sometimes it's funny but at most times, it's not. It's actually annoying and when people get fooled, they're left with not a good mood. When I'm fooled by those pranks messages, I feel embarrassed and it makes me not even want to leave a message or ever call back. So overall, I think music is fine dependent on what kind of music, but jokes is definitely out of the question for a message line.
In regards to call waiting, I actually think that it is one of the best thing ever created for phones because now I can be on the phone with one individual and not miss a call from someone else. Call waiting is so that you will not miss important calls. But I don't think it is right to put someone on hold for too long while you have a conversation on the other line. It is best to just tell the person you will call them back when you get the chance. For an example, it is important to talk directly to your boss and not make him wait while you talk to your boyfriend. That's why it is important to also have the ability to prioritize in life.
The third etiquette refers to how people should identify themselves before they speak during a conference call and to mute yourself or lower your voice when saying joking or sarcastic comments. I have been in several serious/business conference calls before and the one thing I always remember to do is mute myself. It is always embarrassing and not good business behavior to have loud background noise or to accidentally say something silly. To prevent it all from happening, I just mute myself and then unmute when I want to talk.
The fourth etiquette talks about how people should not fax long, unannounced or unwelcomed materials. And when we do fax, we should let the recipient know prior to sending it. I never dealt with situations where faxes were sent and it was long and unannounced. But every time I fax, I always let the person know that I'm faxing it, just to ensure its delivery.
The fifth etiquette suggest that we should time our communication by timing our calls and faxes so that we do not disturb our recipient at home or during a busy time at work. This is definitely important especially if the individual is trying to make an impression. When I call in for a job position, I always make sure I call in the morning or in the late evening when business is slow or die down. Or when I am calling a business colleague, I e-mail them first to make sure that calling at a specific time is good or not.
Finally, the sixth etiquette talks about how the screen names that we choose for any internet accounts or ring tones for our phone should be appropriate. When I was in high school, I would have ring tones if popular hip-hop or r&b songs that I listen to and that use to be cool. But in the business world, it is deemed as unprofessional and immature. Therefore as I got to college, I stopped using those ringtones and just assigned normal premade ring tones in my cell phone. Also now when I create new screen names for new e-mail addresses, I make sure that it is professional and doesn't look silly. Of course when we were all in high school or younger, we want to creative in a kiddish way, but now we need to be creative in a professional way.
I hope you enjoyed this reading.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Monday, April 20, 2009
Week 14 Question 1: Organizational Linkages
According to Sarah Trenholm, since organizations are like any other living systems, they are linked to their environments because they depend on their surroundings for resources and energy. Just like a school. A school would not be one if it there were no students or teachers or people to do the administrative tasks. And just like any living organisms, organizations cannot exist without a healthy environment to support it. My high school was able to have after school programs and strong athletic programs because it received tremendous support from the parents and faculty. The parents of students got together and fundraised during sports program to get money for next year's program. Certain fundraisers are selling candies, magazines, or even car washes. The parents target city residence who attend these sports game or residence who just happen to be in the area for a car wash. This is how we are all interdependent on one another for survival.
An organization like a high school or college have ethical obligations to use the fundraising money correctly by putting it into its intended use. For an example, the parents of students athletes at my high school fundraised specifically for their athletic programs, such as the soccer team. Once they've received enough money, they will give that money to the school athletic programs to spend on the soccer team. Now, the athletic programs are under ethical obligations to spend that money on items that is relevant to the soccer team and no where else. It would be morally wrong for the athlete board of directors to spend that money on the football team or the basketball team. I believe that all organizations need to give back to the community in anyway possible. Just like any organisms, the organization is using resources from its surrounding environment. To be fair and just, the organizations need to give back some of its earnings or benefits to the people in that environment. For an example, my high school gave back by donating any un-needed materials to local charities. Actually, I believe that we, as individuals, should always give back to our environment.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
An organization like a high school or college have ethical obligations to use the fundraising money correctly by putting it into its intended use. For an example, the parents of students athletes at my high school fundraised specifically for their athletic programs, such as the soccer team. Once they've received enough money, they will give that money to the school athletic programs to spend on the soccer team. Now, the athletic programs are under ethical obligations to spend that money on items that is relevant to the soccer team and no where else. It would be morally wrong for the athlete board of directors to spend that money on the football team or the basketball team. I believe that all organizations need to give back to the community in anyway possible. Just like any organisms, the organization is using resources from its surrounding environment. To be fair and just, the organizations need to give back some of its earnings or benefits to the people in that environment. For an example, my high school gave back by donating any un-needed materials to local charities. Actually, I believe that we, as individuals, should always give back to our environment.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Week 13 Question 3: Intimacy
The concept that I found most interesting was the relational development and the stages in intimate dyads. I am currently in a romantic relationship and it is really intriguing to relate the steps in the book to how we intimately grew closer to each other. In my romantic relationship, we did go through the experience the relational development stages of initiating stage, experimenting stage, the intensifying stage, the integrating stage, and finally the intimacy stage.
When we first met, we were in the initiating stage of carefully observing each other for cues preferable cues of personality, attitudes, etc. In the initiating stage we were both very careful with our filters to make sure that we want to get to know each other more. Then we went on to the experimenting stage where we got to know each other a little more through relaxing conversations. Because I enjoyed the information that was revealed about my boyfriend, and he seemed to like what I revealed about myself as well so we both moved on to the integrating stage. In this stage, we became an intimate couple. We care about each other, we enjoy each others company, we love each other, and we share belongings, friends, family, etc. In this stage, we find ourselves discussing really deep intimate things that we normally wouldn't talk about with other people. This is the stage where we really trust each other. I believe that we are moving on to a deeper level of committing that might be leading towards engagement. Even though we know each other pretty well, I believe that we will still be cautious and take it slow just to get to know other some more before taking a huge step into marriage.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
When we first met, we were in the initiating stage of carefully observing each other for cues preferable cues of personality, attitudes, etc. In the initiating stage we were both very careful with our filters to make sure that we want to get to know each other more. Then we went on to the experimenting stage where we got to know each other a little more through relaxing conversations. Because I enjoyed the information that was revealed about my boyfriend, and he seemed to like what I revealed about myself as well so we both moved on to the integrating stage. In this stage, we became an intimate couple. We care about each other, we enjoy each others company, we love each other, and we share belongings, friends, family, etc. In this stage, we find ourselves discussing really deep intimate things that we normally wouldn't talk about with other people. This is the stage where we really trust each other. I believe that we are moving on to a deeper level of committing that might be leading towards engagement. Even though we know each other pretty well, I believe that we will still be cautious and take it slow just to get to know other some more before taking a huge step into marriage.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Friday, April 17, 2009
Week 13 Question 2: Filtering System
According to Steve Duck (as cited in Sarah Trenholm) we use filters to judge how close to others we want to become. I can totally relate to this theory because throughout life, we meet a lot of people but over time, we learn which of these people will become our close intimate friends. I have many filters that I use to consider people as potential romantic partners and close friends. Just romantic partners alone, I judge the men based on their intellect and the ability to hold a sophisticated conversation. After that, I make sure that the individual is family and goal oriented. After that, it's based on a series of characteristics that I look for to consider taken it to the next step with them. Duck's filtering theory makes complete sense to me because we all do this in life as we meet new people. We test the waters to see if they are a good fit for us in life or not.
Steve Duck identifies 4 filters that he theorize people use; sociological or incidental cues, pre-interaction cues, interaction, and finally, the cognitive cues. I have used the sociological or incidental cues to consider my relationship with them. Sociological or incidental cues are the demographic or environmental factors that determine the probability of contact. I have decided not to continue a relationship with someone because they live so far away from. I felt that the relationship wouldn't be successful or beneficial, so I ended it. I also have filtered people using the pre-interaction cues which are the physical beauty, artifacts, and nonverbal behaviors. I must admit, the pre-interaction cues are sometimes shallow but I believe that you can't start a relationship with someone if you are not attracted to them. Finally the interaction cues are the initial contact and the cognitive cues, the values and attitudes and beliefs, have helped me filtered the many possibilities into one perfect person for my current romantic partner. I went through this filtering system without even knowing it.
Signing out,
EventsDreamer
Steve Duck identifies 4 filters that he theorize people use; sociological or incidental cues, pre-interaction cues, interaction, and finally, the cognitive cues. I have used the sociological or incidental cues to consider my relationship with them. Sociological or incidental cues are the demographic or environmental factors that determine the probability of contact. I have decided not to continue a relationship with someone because they live so far away from. I felt that the relationship wouldn't be successful or beneficial, so I ended it. I also have filtered people using the pre-interaction cues which are the physical beauty, artifacts, and nonverbal behaviors. I must admit, the pre-interaction cues are sometimes shallow but I believe that you can't start a relationship with someone if you are not attracted to them. Finally the interaction cues are the initial contact and the cognitive cues, the values and attitudes and beliefs, have helped me filtered the many possibilities into one perfect person for my current romantic partner. I went through this filtering system without even knowing it.
Signing out,
EventsDreamer
Monday, April 13, 2009
Week 13 Question 1: Finding a Balance
I believe the most difficult to change is the rigid complementarity and the consequences of this pattern can be very damaging to a relationship. In a complementary pattern, one partner takes the one-up position and the other takes the one-down. This means that there's always the partner that makes the decision and control the relationship while the others submit and agrees.
This is hard to change because sometimes, the relationship develops this pattern because of the personality type of the individuals in the relationship and personalities are difficult to alter.
Imagine a romantic relationship where the girl is the dominant one in a romantic relationship and the guy is always the submissive one. He always agrees with what she wants to do and gives in his desires to follow her decisions. I feel that if this pattern lasts for a long time, he will soon resent the relationship from preventing him to do what he wants. Then even when he wants to change the pattern, the girl has already established that dominance and it will be hard for her to step down and let him take the lead. The girl in the relationship is so used to being the leader that it is going to be difficult for her to let go of control. I believe that there should always be a balance of who takes the one-up in a relationship. To fix prevent resentment, I believe it's best to take turn in having the one-up position in a complementary pattern.
I believe that the most damaging pattern to a relationship is the competitive symmetry. Since in this pattern, partners are constantly fighting for the lead, it will create resentment, jealously, animosity and a competitive atmosphere rather than a loving and friendly relationship.
In my opinion, the most potentially damaging pattern to the self-esteem is the submissive symmetry. The submissive symmetry is when both partners are gives up their desire for the other partner to take the lead. I know that if I always give up my desires and what I want for the other to take the lead, I eventually feel that I am not worthy enough to take the lead myself. This pattern is damaging to my self-esteem if I can't think highly of myself that rather I am always thinking that other people should take the lead. Sometimes being too submissive discredit and devalue an individual's potential.
To prevent all negative impact of these patterns, one must have balance.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
This is hard to change because sometimes, the relationship develops this pattern because of the personality type of the individuals in the relationship and personalities are difficult to alter.
Imagine a romantic relationship where the girl is the dominant one in a romantic relationship and the guy is always the submissive one. He always agrees with what she wants to do and gives in his desires to follow her decisions. I feel that if this pattern lasts for a long time, he will soon resent the relationship from preventing him to do what he wants. Then even when he wants to change the pattern, the girl has already established that dominance and it will be hard for her to step down and let him take the lead. The girl in the relationship is so used to being the leader that it is going to be difficult for her to let go of control. I believe that there should always be a balance of who takes the one-up in a relationship. To fix prevent resentment, I believe it's best to take turn in having the one-up position in a complementary pattern.
I believe that the most damaging pattern to a relationship is the competitive symmetry. Since in this pattern, partners are constantly fighting for the lead, it will create resentment, jealously, animosity and a competitive atmosphere rather than a loving and friendly relationship.
In my opinion, the most potentially damaging pattern to the self-esteem is the submissive symmetry. The submissive symmetry is when both partners are gives up their desire for the other partner to take the lead. I know that if I always give up my desires and what I want for the other to take the lead, I eventually feel that I am not worthy enough to take the lead myself. This pattern is damaging to my self-esteem if I can't think highly of myself that rather I am always thinking that other people should take the lead. Sometimes being too submissive discredit and devalue an individual's potential.
To prevent all negative impact of these patterns, one must have balance.
Signing out,
Events Dreamer
Friday, April 3, 2009
Week 11 Question 3: Cultural Perception
The concept of how culture can hugely affect perception is interesting to me. According to Sarah Trenholm, we have to be aware of cultural conventions and familiarizing oneself with basic values and customs. As communicators we have to understand each other's cultures in order to effectively communicate our messages. I completely agree with Trenholm that now knowing the values of another country can result in embarrassment and loss of credibility. I feel that a good speaker is one that knows the background of their listeners and incorporate the culture information into their message; this helps the listener to relate to the speaker when they feel that their values are being understood. For an example, if a president candidate is giving a speech in New York City to woo them into voting for him, it would be best for him to gear his plans accordingly what they values they hold dearest. Being able to relate to the audience is helpful when you want them to understand your message. I am going to keep this in mind when I am trying to promote an idea and I want others to accept that idea.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Week 11 Question 2: Rationality, Perfectibility, and Mutability Premises
I do believe in rationality, perfectibility, and mutability. According to Larry Samovar, Richard Porter, and Nemi Jain, the rationality premise is the belief that most people are capable of discovering the truth throgh logical analysis. In my opinion, I feel that education and the teachings of many parents encourage us to look at situations through the rationality premise. We should always be logical first and then emotions second. I was always told by many of my teachers that emotions can manipulate and logical is always wise. Even in society today, people are considered insane if they are too emotional and people are considered normal and mentally capable when they are rational. Even though sometimes I am told to follow my heart, I was also told that I need to think things through logically before making any decision.
The perfectibility premise believes that people are born in sin but are capable of achieving goodness through effort and control. I feel that the perfectibility premise is mostly practiced by Puritans, Christians, and mostly religious people who feel they need to work hard at being a good person. For an example, I know that many Christians go to church because they want to achieve that goodness, and they believe that going to church shows effort. Another example is a Buddhist monk who dedicates his whole life to being a Buddhist by giving up all earthly desires. They want to achieve goodness and nirvana though their dedication. When parents are religious, they may impose this beliefs unto their child. Then their child may feel that they always have to achieve perfection. Some people feel that to gain trust, they have to earn it and prove that they are trustworthy. This belief stems from the fact that all are capable of being hurtful. An example is that some women feel that they cannot trust men because they have been hurt by men before. So from then, in order for the man to gain the woman's trust, he has to show that he is a good person.
Finally the mutability premise believes that human behavior is shaped by environmental actors and the way to improve humans is to improve their physical and psychological circumstances. I do agree with the believe that human behavior is based on the physical circumstances like how their body looks. For an example, some people feel that their happiness depends on their appearance. This stems from the insecurities of their looks, so they attempt to change their body through dieting, exercising, or extremes like plastic surgery. This is when the human behavior is shaped by the physical circumstances. Human behaviors are also shaped by their physical surroundings and location. For an example, an individual may act outgoing and wild when they are at a night club, but may appear professional in an interview.
I completely agree with all three basic beliefs and it can apply to everyone at different stages of life.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
The perfectibility premise believes that people are born in sin but are capable of achieving goodness through effort and control. I feel that the perfectibility premise is mostly practiced by Puritans, Christians, and mostly religious people who feel they need to work hard at being a good person. For an example, I know that many Christians go to church because they want to achieve that goodness, and they believe that going to church shows effort. Another example is a Buddhist monk who dedicates his whole life to being a Buddhist by giving up all earthly desires. They want to achieve goodness and nirvana though their dedication. When parents are religious, they may impose this beliefs unto their child. Then their child may feel that they always have to achieve perfection. Some people feel that to gain trust, they have to earn it and prove that they are trustworthy. This belief stems from the fact that all are capable of being hurtful. An example is that some women feel that they cannot trust men because they have been hurt by men before. So from then, in order for the man to gain the woman's trust, he has to show that he is a good person.
Finally the mutability premise believes that human behavior is shaped by environmental actors and the way to improve humans is to improve their physical and psychological circumstances. I do agree with the believe that human behavior is based on the physical circumstances like how their body looks. For an example, some people feel that their happiness depends on their appearance. This stems from the insecurities of their looks, so they attempt to change their body through dieting, exercising, or extremes like plastic surgery. This is when the human behavior is shaped by the physical circumstances. Human behaviors are also shaped by their physical surroundings and location. For an example, an individual may act outgoing and wild when they are at a night club, but may appear professional in an interview.
I completely agree with all three basic beliefs and it can apply to everyone at different stages of life.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
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