Transcript Chapter 9 - TiffanyAreliKelsi

By: Kelsi Didier, Tiffany McCulley, and
Areli Valero
Icebreaker

 On a notecard write 5 things that make up your
identity
 Categories that can help guide your choices:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Race
Religion
Family (sister, brother, daughter, mother, father, etc.)
Traits (smart, athletic, funny, outgoing, sensitive, etc.)
Activities (sports, community service, binge watching
Netflix, cooking, etc.)
Future/current occupation
 Be prepared to share with the class
Question

 What did you want to be when you were little?
 Firefighter/police officer
 Doctor/vet
 Singer/dancer
 Surely, over the years you have changed your mind many
times…
Ballerina  Chef  Nurse  Teacher
 Childhood is the stepping stone to understanding your true
self. Originally put into motion by either your parents or
guardian.
What is there to explore?

 Define the self
 Discuss factors that shape the self
 Four communication processes that explain how we
come to know ourselves
 Digital media’s role in personal identity
 Three guidelines to encourage personal growth
The Self

 The self is defined as “a multidimensional process
that involves forming and acting from social
perspectives that arise and evolve in communication
with others and ourselves” (Wood 174).
Did you know that others perspectives
influence how we see ourselves?

There are two kinds of others whose perspectives
influence how we see ourselves and what we believe is
possible and desirable for us:
Generalized
Others
 “… represents one’s
perception of the
rules, roles, and
attitudes endorsed
by one’s group or
community”
(Wood 175).
Particular Others
 “Specific people who are
significant to the self and
who influence self’s values,
perspective and esteem”
(Wood 175).
The Self: Key Points

 Developed through
communication with
others
 generalized others
 particular others
 Multidimensional:





Physical self
Emotional self
Cognitive self
Social self
Professional self
 Perspectives on the self are a
system-> all parts are
interrelated
 Not innate/born with
 Not static or fixed but rather
dynamic
 https://www.ted.com/talk
s/dan_gilbert_you_are_alw
ays_changing?language=en
(5:30)
Society Shapes The Self

There are four key social categories
recognized and considered important to
identity in the United States today:
Socioeconomic
class
Race
Gender
Sexual
Orientation
Particular Others Shape
The Self

 Attachment Styles:
- Secure
- Fearful
- Dismissive
- Anxious/
Ambivalent
 Life Scripts
Secure Attachment Style

 “Develops when a child’s primary caregiver
responds in a consistently attentive and loving way
to a child” (Wood 178).
 Learn a sense of self-worth
 “I am loved”
 Positive view of others
 “People are loving
and can be trusted”
Fearful Attachment
Style

 “… when a caregiver communicates in negative,
rejecting, or abusive ways with a child” (Wood 178).
 They are unworthy of love
 They fear that others will not love them
 Leads to them to be apprehensive and insecure in
relationships
 https://youtu.be/aQd6SoeCFJE?t=50s
Dismissive Attachment
Style

 “…promoted by caregivers who are uninterested in,
rejecting of, or abusive toward children” (Wood 178)
 Does not accept the caregiver’s view of them as
unlovable
 They dismiss others as unworthy*
 The children develop a positive view of themselves and
a low regard for others and relationships
 Tend to view relationships as unnecessary/undesirable
Anxious/Ambivalent
Attachment Style

 Most complex out of the four attachment styles
 Created by inconsistent* treatment from the
caregiver
 Loving/attentive  indifferent/rejecting
 Unpredictable
 Create anxiety in a child
 Child assume they are the problem
Life Scripts

 “Guides to action based on  As adults life scripts...
rules for living and
 are an active process
identity” (Wood 179).
 can be reviewed and
changed
 Initially your family
communicates to you
 Examples:
 “Save your money for a
 Our initial life scripts are
rainy day”
formed when we are a
 “Always help others”
child, usually before we are
 “Look out for yourself”
the age of five
How Do We Learn
About The Self?

 Four communication processes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reflected Appraisal
Direct Definition
Social Comparison
Self-Disclosure
1. Reflected Appraisal

 “Looking-glass self” or mirror
 “The image and estimate of ourselves that we perceive others
communicate to us” (Wood 179).
 Continue throughout our lives
 The start of self-concept
1. Reflected Appraisal

 How to Lose a Guy in 10
Days:https://youtu.be/qaqao1tH5Kk
 Mean Girls: https://youtu.be/CkvakGvvivU
2. Direct Definition

 “Communication that tells us who we are by
explicitly labeling us and reacting to our behaviors”
(Wood 180).
 Usually, family members are the first ones to give us
a direct definition of ourselves
 Peers also give direct definitions of us
 Examples:
 “You’re my smart little girl”
 “You’re a big, strong boy”
 Dad’s pep talk: https://youtu.be/zNtPVgblzWY
Self-fulfilling Prophecies

 Reflected appraisals and direct definitions impact our
self through the self-fulfilling prophecy
 “Acting in ways that bring about others’ or our own
expectations or judgments of ourselves”(Wood 181).
 Can be upward or downward
 We often believe wrong things about ourselves
1. Use labels that were once true
2. Use labels that were never true
Self-fulfilling Prophecies

 Zootopia- Nicholas Wild (fox):
https://youtu.be/ZKS_2ulNBYU (0:40)
https://youtu.be/GTLWzW5iQag (0:00-1:15) (4:505:06)
 Shrek: https://youtu.be/6Dj0yIhAvck
https://youtu.be/fdEvXgzQWPw?list=PLXWjqz
jJK3s_-zSqtmVW_XyuNcz30vMQX (2:30)
3. Social Comparison

 “Comparing ourselves with others to form
judgments of our talents, abilities, qualities, and so
forth” (Wood 181).
 We do this in two ways:
1. Compare ourselves with others to decide if we are
like them or if we are different from them
2. Compare ourselves to others to judge specific aspects
 It is normal for people to do this, but it is important
to be cautious
3. Social Comparison

4. Self Disclosure

 “The revelation of personal information about
ourselves that others are unlikely to discover in other
ways” (Wood 182).
 Vary with amount of openness
 It is most likely to occur in a positive communication
climate
 Example:
 The Other Woman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSNBxdmapro
 Johari Window
 Uncertainty reduction theory
Johari Window

Johari Window

 Hidden area:
 Frozen: https://youtu.be/Y348VaQMnvI
 Unknown area:
 Finding Nemo: https://youtu.be/NgcJGQgoy3o
Uncertainty Reduction
Theory

 “The theory that people find uncertainty
uncomfortable and so are motivated to use
communication to reduce uncertainty” (Wood 184).
 High during initial encounters
 Self disclosure lowers uncertainty (be careful)
 Decreases over time in relationships
 Gender differences
 Example:
 UP: https://youtu.be/emkc1zmngwU
Digital Media’s Role in
Personal Identity

 Importance of social
media in providing us
with direct definitions
and reflected appraisals
•
•
•
•
Examples
Amongst teens
Gender differences
Cyber bullying
 Social media is a key
source for social
comparison
 Social media is a
platform for skilled face
work
•
•
•
•
Edit, reedit our page
Photoshop
Post best photos
High potential for
manipulation and
misrepresentation
Guidelines

1. Reflect critically on social perspectives
2. Commit to personal growth
•
•
Set realistic goals
Assess yourself fairly
3. Create a supportive context for the change you seek
•
•
Settings
People (uppers, downers, vultures)
•
•
Others: https://youtu.be/M_8lJYSycaE?t=7s (0:07-0:35)
Self sabotage: https://youtu.be/Rlhi2lnLYlU
Discussion Question

 Do you think people change which parts of their self
they choose to show in different environments? And
if so, what are some examples?
Works Cited

Wood, J. T. (2017). Communication mosaics: An
introduction to the field of communication. 8th
Edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.