Chapter 5 in your text discusses symbolic interactionism, a theory developed by G. H. Mead, a sociologist, that has had a strong influence on theory in the communication discipline. Mead's theory got scholars to reconsider their view of reality. Instead of reality being something separate and apart from people, Mead's theory argues that social reality is something people create. And if that's the case, then people can create, maintain, and change that reality.
Near the end of the chapter, Griffin outlines several ways in which symbolic interactionism is applicable to communication. One area, naming, recognizes the ways in which labeling influences how communicators think of something and respond to it. Reflect on the alias you chose for your blogs--how does that alias represent you? In addition, the power to name and define is an important one. Consider the strategies politicians use to define their opponents.
~ Professor Cyborg
Week 15 #3
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Self-image affects communication. " I" is that people are birth with, but "
me " is affected by environment, family, and culture.Ting-Toomey defines
that p...
15 years ago
2 comments:
Griffin's definition of "looking-glass self" confuses me a bit (pg. 63). It's defined as "the metal self-image that results from taking the role of the other; the objective self; me." Does he just mean seeing yourself objectively/from someone else's point of view? Or does he mean seeing your new self (after you've already taken the role of the other) objectively from your old self's point of view? I probably did a poor job of explaining, but I'm hoping you can clarify.
The looking glass self is imagining how others view you. So it's the aspect of the self that incorporates how you think others think of you (since you can never know for sure how others view you). When you interact with others, you gather data about how you think they view you based on what they say and do. The self is always in process, so there's never an "old" or "new" self, just an evolving self.
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