Instructor Wrap Up - Wood Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Communication and Personal Identity

"To venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one's self."  

Soren Kierkegaard

Key Concepts in this chapter:

anxious-resistance attachment style

attachment styles

direct definition

dismissive attachment style

downers

ego boundaries

fearful attachment style

generalized other

identity scripts

Johari Window

perspective of the generalized other

Particular others

reflected appraisal

secure attachment style

self

self-disclosure

self-fulfilling prophecy

self-sabotage

significant others

social comparison

uppers

vultures

Chapter 2 starts out by discussing the 'Self'.  What is the Self?
*According to your text, the self is a complicated, multidimensional process.  The Self arises in communication with others. We develop notions of who we are and aren’t because of our interactions with others from the time we are born until the time we die.

* We need to choose settings and people who will help us achieve our goals.
     -Uppers
     -Downers
     -Vultures
     -Self-Fulfilling Prophesy 


*Parents or primary care givers communicate who we are by how they interact with us, or their attachment styles.
     -Secure attachment style
     -Fearful attachment style
     -Dismissive attachment style
     -Anxious/Ambivalent attachment style (also known as Preoccupied)

*The generalized other reflects the views that others in society generally hold.

*The Self is Multi-Dimensional: There are many different ways we view our selves, including physical, emotional, social, and moral selves. Because it involves a process, the self develops over the course of time.



*Page 56 then goes on to explain some Guidelines for Improving Self-Concept. Within this section, "self-disclosure" is discussed, as it something called the Johari Window (Figure 2.3, pg. 57).

The Johari Window is what drew me into the field of communication in the first place.  Kinda geeky, huh?  ;)


But honestly, how cool is the Johari Window?  There are 4 quadrants (taken directly from your text):
1). Open, or public, information is know both to us and to others.  Your name, height, major, and tastes in music probably are open information that you share easily with others.
2). The blind area contains information that others know about us but we don't know about ourselves.  For example, others may see that we are insecure even though we think we've hidden that well.  Others may also recognize needs or feelings that we haven't acknowledged to ourselves.
3). Hidden information is what we know about ourselves but choose not to reveal to most others.  You might not tell many people about your vulnerabilities or about traumas in your past because you consider this private information.  
4). The unknown area is made up of information about ourselves that neither we nor others know.  This consists of your untapped resources, your untried talents, and your reactions to experiences you've never had.  You don't know how you will manage a crisis until you've been in one, and you can't tell what kind of parent you would be unless you've had a child.


There are many many websites dedicated to the Johari Window.  I would encourage you to do a simple google search about this concept, and see what interesting things you can find.


REMINDER:  Check out the "Helpful Links" page at the top to see a list of helpful links to each chapter.  As of today, Chapters 1 and 2 have been updated.