Web Lecture 3

In web lecture 3 it did a good job in summarizing the three chapters. I really enjoyed reading the section about identity because last semester I had intercultural communication and learned that identity has so many different meanings. So it was interesting to have that background of identity and then read about it in the lecture. In the section about social penetration theory it really explained the concept very well and really broke the concept down to easily understand the theory.

Chapter 8 Embarrassment

Embarrassment is a common emotional reaction to a social predicament. (p.230) It is very possible for people who are prone to embarrassment to avoid embarrassment. This is something that has happened to everyone at least once in their life. This relates to my interpersonal life because I would have to say that I am someone who gets embarrassed very easily. I probably get embarrassed by myself at least a few times a week. Its also common for me to get embarrassed when my parents say certain things or my sister acts in a certain way. It was interesting to find out that people who are prone to embarrassment can avoid embarrassment, that is something that I will think about the next time I feel embarrassed, to try and avoid the situation. Since I seem to get embarrassed really easily I have found that the less I think about the incident the better I am.

Chapter 7

In chapter 7 the topic of reasons for not disclosing is a topic that really struck me. People choose to not to disclose. This is something very common in college students when they meet new people. They don’t want to give the other person a bad image of themselves so they just don’t talk about it. This is something that has happened to me more than a few times. I also believe that some people tend to be more private than others or are really open and like to share their life so I believe that also has an effect on self disclosure.

Chapter 6

I found chapter 6 to be a very interesting chapter. An concept that I found most fascinating was right in the beginning. On page 155 the concept of impression management which is when a person projects a certain image. Strategic self presentation is when you are consciously making an attempt to control certain behaviors to make a certain impression on your audience. In my interpersonal life this is something that I do often. I have found that in certain situations I present myself differently. I would say that I use strategic self presentation more often because I am aware that I am making a change in my behavior. For example when I am around adults or teachers I will present myself a lot differently then when I am around my friends. When I am around adults and teachers I will present myself as more mature but when I am with my friends I will just be myself whether that in mature or not.

Chapter 16 Empathy

In chapter 16 empathy is said to be an important skill in interpersonal communication . Empathy is defined as the ability to show your conversational partner that you understand his or her situation (p. 507). Empathy is an important characteristic to have in a conversation because you need to make the other person in the conversation know what they are going through. Empathy and sympathy are two different concepts. Sympathy is feeling bad for someone. Being empathetic can help an individual in conversations because it lets them know that they are not the only person going through the issue. There have been many situations in my life where I have been empathetic to friends who have dealt with a breakup with a boyfriend as well as they have been empathetic to certain situations that I have been in.

Ch 14 Argumentativeness

What I found to be most interesting in chapter 14 is the concept of argumentativeness. People argue all the time and is it very common for an individual to defend their own views and attack the positions of others. (p.446) It was interesting to read that there are two types of argumentativeness one being, approaching agreements and avoiding arguments. I have found that I am one who likes to avoid arguments at times I will agree with someone just because I don’t want to fight about the topic. I know this is something that I should try and change because I can stand up for myself and by avoiding arguments I am in some ways letting the other person win and allowing him or her to walk all over me. I have found that there are some people who love conflict and will pick a fight. I don’t like these types of people because arguing over something doesn’t really get anything solved it usually gets people mad and then never really resolve an issue or it leads to arguing over basically nothing.

Chapter 5 Person Perception

A concept that I found to be very interesting in person perception which is in chapter 5. Person perception is defined as our attempt to determine what others are like and whether we like them. (p.35) This concept is interesting because it is something that everyone does pretty much on a daily basis. You may seen an individual walking down the street and you look at the person and try and determine what they are like. You may be able to tell that persons personality by the way they are dressed or b y the way they carry themselves. This is something that relates to my own interpersonal communication because this is something that I do often. I do not judge people for what they look like or what they wear but can get a sense of their background and their style of what they like.