Ch. 4 Stereotypes

In this last blog of our assignment I will be discussing what a stereotype is and how it affects our everyday lives.

Before telling you some instances where I have been stereotyped, first we need to understand just what it really means to be stereotyped. Stereotyping is a term used when generalizations are made to a person who is found within a certain group. Race and gender are two of the main stereotypes that there are. In high schools everywhere labels are constantly being used. Jocks, nerds, stoners, cheerleaders, and band geeks are just a few examples. One general stereotype is against women. Many think that women could never be as fast, strong or smart as men. There also is a stereotype that all women can't drive. There are also a couple of other stereotypes I have personally been categorized into. I live in a very small town where you pretty much know everybody and everything you could possibly need to know about them. Nothing can be kept a secret and gossip spreads like wildfire. My hometown is very low key and surrounded by cornfields. Whenever someone asks where I live and I tell them they automatically assume that we are all rednecks. People also assume that we are all illiterate and technologically challenged. There is also another stereotype that I have encountered. I used to get blonde highlights in my hair and one time I dyed all of my hair blonde. My brother and the rest of my family used to joke that after dying my hair my IQ instantly dropped and I became a dumb blonde. They would talk down to me like I had no idea what they were talking about and it got to the point where I had to dye it back to all brown. Stereotypes can be a compliment but most are just general statements made about a group that really doesn't describe the individuals within the group.

Ch.3 Benefits and Risks of Self disclosure

In this blog I'll be talking about self-disclosure. More specifically I will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of self- disclosure, along with sharing some examples from my own life.

Before explaining the risks and benefits of self-disclosure we must first understand what self-disclosure is. Self disclosure is the act of giving other people information about ourselves that they don't already know. An example of self-discloure would be in one scene from The Breakfast Club when all the kids are sitting around in the library sharing personal information about themselves. There are four main benefits of self- disclosure. The first one is the enhancement of relationships. By disclosing information to our close family and friends we can make our relationships stronger. When I first met one of my friends I never told her I loved to bowl. Once I told her, she said she loved to bowl as well and it made us have a closer friendship because of it. The second benefit is recprocity. When we share something personal with our friends and family they also feel like they can let their guard down and share something as well. The third benefit of self-disclosure is emotional release. When we share a confession to our family we can instantly feel relieved. A couple years ago I was painting my nails in my room with a bright teal color. I am very clumsy and usually end up spilling everything. As you can guess I spilled the nail polish everywhere and it splattered all over my carpet. My mom tried to help me but it wasn't coming out of the carpet. I didn't tell my dad because I know he would freak if he saw it. After a couple of weeks I felt really guilty and got a little paranoid that he would find out, so I told him. He was super angry but I felt so much better after telling him. The final benefit to self-disclosure is assistance to others. If someone you know is going through a rough patch in their life you can tell them how to help deal with it. When my friends grandma died I told her about the time when my grandma died and how I was able to deal with it. I feel like by us both losing a family member I think it really helped my friend cope. With the advantages also comes the disadvantages of self-disclosure. One risk is the fact of being rejected by the person to whom you are confiding to. The second risk is the chance of obligating others. By telling something to one of your friends they may feel like they have to tell you something very personal to them. A third risk to self-disclosure is the possibility of hurting others. If someone asks you something personal to them and you don't want to hurt their feelings you may lie to them or have to tell them the truth. My best friend starting dating this one guy who was really clingy and never let her hang out with her friends. She asked me what I thought of him and I could tell that she really liked him so I decided not to hurt her feelings so I told her he seemed liked a nice guy and she had my approval. The final risk of self-disclosure is the violation of someones privacy. When you tell something personal to a friend someone else could overhear and begin to spread rumors about that person. Something like this has luckily never happened to me but in my high school it seemed like it was always happening some poor girl and the truth was always getting twisted around.

Ch. 2- low context v. high context

Hey everyone! This is my second blog for this project and I will be discussing a type of culture we learned in chapter two. More specifically, I would like to discuss the uncertainty avoidance aspect of culture. I will also be sharing how I would communicate when talking with the other type of culture. Hope you like it and can maybe share some input!

The type of culture I would like to discuss is uncertainty avoidance. Highly uncertainty avoidant people like familiar situations and are very unlikely to take risks in their life. On the contrary, people who are part of uncertainty accepting cultures love the fast paced lifestyle and are open to new situations and possibilities. For me I feel that I am a highly uncertainty avoidant person. I am very resistant to change and become very stressed when I am put in an uncomfortable position that I don't know what the outcome will be. For example, at the beginning of my senior year I was excited to think that I might go away to college with all of my friends down at ISU or Purdue. After thinking about it I was petrified of the thought of moving to a new area where I didn't know my surroundings or what could possibly happen in the future. By going to college close to my house I felt very comfortable knowing pretty much everything was going to stay the same and I wasn't going to put myself into an unpredictable situation. All of my friends still ended up moving away and they couldn't understand why I chose to stay home.

I think there are a couple of ways I could improve my communication with the other type of culture. First I think I would try and understand where they are coming from and see why their opinion differs from my own. Then I would explain my position to them so they could try to understand my uncertainty and fears. By using these methods I feel that maybe my friends will be able to see why I decided to stay home instead of going away to college.

Ch. 1- 5 needs

Hello everyone! My name is Carly and this is my first blog ever. In this first blog I will be talking about the five communication needs and how they have impacted my life. Enjoy!

The first need I would like to talk to you about is physical needs. This need helps us keep balance in our mental and physical well-being. By having a closeknit family and being able to tell your friends anything, this can promote a healthy lifestyle both physically and emotionally. I read somewhere that there is a major difference between a child who had a stable environment with a lot of love and care and a child who has to basically take care of themselves. In my family we are very close and we are always communicating. Every week my whole family has dinner on Sundays at my grandparents. It's nice when we can all get together and this just makes our relationship that much stronger.

The second need we develop is the relational need. Just as it sounds this need helps us to build our personal relationships. There are many places where we can take advantage of interacting with other people such as school, work, sports events and many others. Even our advances in technology have made social interactions easier. Take this blog for example. This is enabling me to talk to my peers and get feedback. Personal relationships are key in our everday lives and with the help of Facebook, Skype and the Internet in general we are constantly keeping in contact with one another.

Another need we develop through communication is an identity need. This helps us see how we view ourselves as well as how other people view us. By communicating with others our personality will shine through and everyone will be able to get a sense of what distinguishes us from others. In high school I was in a couple of sports and clubs which helped me not only get a sense of what I love to do but also be able to share common ground with my friends in school.

The fourth need we have is spiritual need. This coincides with our identity because we express ourselves through our morals and values. By sharing our beliefs we can see other peoples opinions and maybe share the same values in life with someone who could become a close friend or even a future spouse.

The final need we develop is an instrumental need. These are the day to day tasks that we go through. These tasks could be as simple as ordering food at a drive through or as intricate as giving a speech in class. All of these needs are very functional and our necessary for our life whether they are short term or long term. Communication is inevitable and is one of the ways that people can express their beliefs and  the various characteristics that they portray.