Communication & the Self

What describes you?

Your moods or feelings (e.g. happy, angry, excited)

Your appearance (e.g. attractive, short)

Your social traits (e.g. friendly, shy)

Your intellectual capacity (e.g. smart, slow learner)

Your strong beliefs (e.g. religious, environmentalist,)

Your social roles (e.g. parent, girlfriend)

Your physical condition (e.g. healthy, overweight)

Understand Identity (self-concept)

Created through communication

Created in spurts

Multiple

Influenced by society

Dynamic

Developed in different ways in different cultures

Self-Concept & Self-Esteem

Self-Concept: perceptions you hold of yourself.

Self-Esteem: involves evaluations of self-worth.

Consider this:
Quiet

Im a coward for not speaking up. versus

I enjoy listening more than talking.

Argumentative

Im pushy, and thats obnoxious. versus

I stand up for my beliefs.

Self-Concept Development

Reflected Appraisal: a result of the messages you've

received throughout life

Social Comparison: evaluating ourselves in terms

of how we compare with others.

Self-Concept Characteristics 1 of 2

The self-concept is subjective

may be distorted (positive or negative)

obsolete information

distorted feedback

perfectionism

social expectations

Self-Concept Characteristics 2 of 2

The self-concept resists change

cognitive conservatism - seeks and attend to info

that confirms an existing self-concept

Culture and Gender Influences

Culture

individualism versus collectivism

Sex/Gender

male/female masculine/feminine

Self-fulfilling Prophecy
4 Stages:
1.Holding an expectation (for yourself or others)
2.Behavior in accordance with that expectation
3.The expectation coming to pass
4.Reinforcing the original expectation

2 Types:
Self-imposed
Imposed by another

Presenting the Self

Perceived self - reflection of selfconcept; honest self-examination;

may not be accurate

Presenting self - public image;

the way we want others to view
us

sometimes called face - socially

approve identity

Identity Management
Identity Management - communication strategies
that people use to influence how others view them

Why do we do manage
our impressions?

How do we manage
our impressions?

Self-Disclosure &
Identity Management

Has the self as subject

Is intentional

Is directed at another person

Is honest & revealing

Information generally unavailable from other sources

Gains much of its intimate nature from the context in which it's
expressed

The Social Penetration Model

Dimension 1: breadth of info

expands

Dimension 2: depth of info

shifts

The Johari Window Model

Alternatives to Self-Disclosure

Evasive approaches:

Benevolent lying - not malicious; beneficial for the

recipient

Equivocating - two or more plausible meanings (truth/lie,

clear/vague); not aimed at changing another's behavior

Hinting - seeks to get desired response; save the receiver

from embarrassment

Ethical Challenge

Recall three situations when you used each of the following

evasive approaches: benevolent lying, equivocating, and
hinting.

Write an anonymous written description of each situation

on a separate sheet of paper.

Submit the cases to the judge (Me).