There is quite a bit of interesting stuff in the interpersonal communication chapter and I had a hard time narrowing down topics for this week's blog postings.
If you choose to complete this assignment for course credit, you can choose any topic in the chapter and do a little searching of your own that is catered to your interest. You can post a video, news article (with or without a research component), etc. and tell me how it relates to the chapter. Be creative! Please include a link to your article/video/etc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/05/cell-phone-hurts-relationships-study-university-of-essex_n_1855930.html
ReplyDeleteThis article describes how trying to get to know someone while he or she is distracted by a cell phone is quite a frustrating experience. A study also showed that just by having cell phones in the room, not using them, it can be distracting as well. More closeness is experienced when cell phones are not in the picture. Connectedness and interpersonal trust was depleted as well by having a cell phone in the room. With 88% of adults owning a cell phone, not having a cell phone in the room with you while communicating with someone may be much harder than imagined. Achieving a balance between having your cell phone nearby and interpersonal communication is key, although difficult to do. Using technology to better enhance humanity is important, yet hard to accomplish.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=434001440038129&set=vb.401585193279754&type=2&theater
Here is an example of how using your phone in the presence of others can cause (in this case, an exaggerated) sense of strain in interpersonal communications.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/09/children-texting-technology-social-skills_n_1137570.html
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses the impact technology has on the communication skills of young people. It was mentioned that actual conversation is becoming a thing of the past and is not exercised as frequently as we did before the age of smartphones. With the lack of face-to-face communication skills, kids don't know how to handle conflict because so many things happen through some form of technology. Child psychologist, Melissa Ortega, says that "conversation takes practice and a dependence on devices can make it that much harder for children who are already struggling socially." It was also said that they are having a difficult time initiating conversations because they don't ever engage in them. When they are in a situation with strangers they typically grab their phones rather than creating small talk and meeting new people. People who are thoroughly enveloped in devices and technology also struggle with the ability to read nonverbal cues and are often unable to think on their feet to engage in a reciprocal conversation. With these problems emerging it will be interesting to see how these children will act once they enter the workforce. How will they manage to make it through the interview? How will they communicate with coworkers or customers? And, how will they be able to deal with confrontation, such as having to fire someone? All of these problems make sense and I'm sure people can relate to the problems presented. I find myself turning to my cell phone when I'm surrounded by strangers. In fact, it seems that several people do the same. I find technology to be advantageous because it allows us direct access to new information; however, it needs to be used in moderation or we will turn into a virtual world with little to no social interaction.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/05/cell-phone-hurts-relationships-study-university-of-essex_n_1855930.html
ReplyDeleteAs the world of technology is constantly rising, does that mean our social skills are declining? In a recent article published by the Huffington Post, cell phones may dampen a relationship just by being in the room. Trying to connect with someone on a personal level is hard enough and the cell phone makes it an even more challenging task. Two scientists conducted a study where they wanted to test their abilities on communicating with an individual for ten minutes. The volunteers went into a private area where there were two chairs that had a desk with a book and two items placed beside it. At one point, one of the items was a phone. The study showed that the two volunteers who chatted in the presence of a cell phone reported lower relationship qualities and less closeness. The conversation was not only hindered but the relationship quality, trust, and empathy in meaningful conversations. I found this article to be really interesting because I think I may suffer from nomophobia. I always want to have my cell phone with me even if I'm not texting, facebooking, or snapchatting. I just need to know it is there. I don't believe that my social interaction is being affected but I can see how this will be a problem with the next generation. Technology can be a awesome and dangerous invention but at the rate we are going it is only going to continue to improve. Its under our individual control of how we handle the technological increase.
http://creationhealth.com/tabid/1015/Default.aspx
ReplyDeleteThis article begins by explaining social connection or how people interact with each other. How two people interact varies on the individuals being focused upon. No two individuals communicate the same. Relationships take time to develop but they are worth the work. The article explains that having three to five people in your life that you can trust or confide in can lower risk of disease and premature death. One study mentioned in the article explains the benefits of interpersonal relationships for people with heart disease. Depression, anxiety, and self-esteem can all be influenced by interpersonal relationships. Having many close friends can be important in maintaining mental and physical health. The article elaborates on the importance of intimacy and love. Jeff Levin, epidemiologist, puts it this way, "…experts have singled out love as foremost among the human emotions capable of promoting and maintaining health and achieving healing." Overall being happy within your life can cause good health and interpersonal relationships are an important factor.
For this blog I chose the topic of self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is the act of sharing information about yourself with another person. The information does not have to be deep or intimate necessarily. It could be as simple as your opinion of a restaurant of what you thought of a recent sports game. Both nonverbal and verbal communication are a part of self-disclosure. A person's nonverbal behavior can be a determinant for how much information is disclosed. If they show positive nonverbal cues, you are more likely to have positive feelings about the interaction and disclose more information. If the nonverbal cues are negative, you will feel poorly about the interaction and not share as much information.
ReplyDeleteSelf-disclosure is important to adjustment because sharing positive and negative aspects of our lives with others can reduce stress and build positive feelings. This helps to build relationships. Having close relationships is an important factor in happiness. Also, self-disclosure in romantic relationships correlates positively with relationship satisfaction.
Choosing what to tell and not tell people depends on the emotional content of the event and what the social transgressions may be. It also varies on the stage of the relationship.
I found this test on Psychology Today about Self-Disclosure. It is 25 questions and takes about 15 minutes. It gives different scenarios and you choose the action that you relate to the most. It's purpose is to tell you your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communication and self-disclosure.
http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=1610
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ox5LhIJSBE
ReplyDeleteThis video demonstrates the importance of communication. The girl in the veil is asking the deaf girl for directions in a train station. The deaf girl cannot read the other’s lips because the veil covers them. They must rely on nonverbal cues and interactions to communicate. First, the girls try to use the deaf girl’s technology to communicate, but the battery dies. Technology is only helpful to an extent in some situations. It usually promotes and helps make communication easier, but it as the capability to fail occasionally. Next, the girl in the veil uses hand gestures to sign out “happy valley” by using her fingers to make a smile across her face then make a V for valley. The girls also use head nods and thumbs up throughout the nonverbal conversation for confirmation of understanding. The cultural differences between the two girls impact their communication and force them to use other means, body language and gestures to nonverbally communicate. This little scene demonstrates how we must be creative sometimes to get our message across and communicate with others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wRXa971Xw0
ReplyDeleteI realize Jenna Marbles may not be the best teaching tool for many things but this video called “How to Avoid Talking To People You Don’t Want To Talk To” shows a great use of nonverbal communication through facial expressions. In the video Jenna shows an extremely awkward facial expression that would keep people from talking to you. The facial expression she uses is a mixture of extreme fear and awkward silence to scare people away from the conversation. Although this may not be a facial expression most will come upon in their lifetime it is good for people to know that this particular expression means leave me alone I’m not interested.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-van-edwards/political-body-language_b_3163499.html
ReplyDeleteThe article “Body Language for Aspiring Politicians: Nonverbal Communications in Politics” discusses how politicians must be acutely aware of their body language in order to get elected and stay in the good graces of their demographic. They have to control their hand gestures, facial gestures, head positions, and posture in order to seem likeable and trustworthy to the general public. For example, by giving a small wave to the public before giving a speech, it signals to the public that they are friendly, popular, well supported, and in control of the situation. Also, facing the palms outward shows that politicians are open and mean no harm to anyone. By using and controlling these minor ques, politicians are able to influence our behavior, if only slightly, to make us like them more and perhaps get us to vote for them. Knowing and understanding nonverbal communication is instrumental to political life.
http://www.wwu.edu/auap/english/gettinginvolved/CultureComparison.shtml
ReplyDeleteI found an article that compared and contrasted Japan and America’s means of communication. In previous chapters we have learned that Japan is a collectivist culture, meaning the whole is greater than the individual. Considering that, plus how technologically dependent Japan is leads to a number of differences in how American citizens communicate and how Japanese citizens do. Here in America, we rely on our vocal chords to communicate with each other. When we exchange information with others, we assume that what is being said is the truth. In japan, words are not to be trusted as much as mutual feelings and non-verbal cues. Verbal communication is seen as only one of the many ways to communicate, as the use of silence, pauses, actions, facial expressions, body language, etc. is seen as a more direct expression of one’s heart. One interesting thing I learned was that when American’s are late to the job, they are expected to have an excuse to explain their tardiness. When Japanese are late to the job, they are expected to apologize and show their remorse for being late. The reason for being late is not important, making sure the other knows their relationship is of more importance is what matters. It is easy to see that society’s cultures are heavily affected by their environment.