Ch.4 Interpersonal Communication and the Self

Self Concept

The relatively stable set of perceptions you hold of yourself.

Self-esteem

The part of the self-concept that involves evaluations of self-worth.

Reflected Appraisal

A mirroring of others’ judgments.

Significant other

A person whose evaluations are especially influential. 

Social Comparison

Evaluating ourselves in comparison with others

Reference groups

Others against whom you evaluate your own characteristics

Self-evaluation can be distorted for some of these reasons

Obsolete information, distorted feedback, perfectionism, social expectations.

Cognitive Conservatism

Seeking our people who confirm how you see yourself

Self-fulfilling prophecy

When a person’s expectations of an event and subsequent behavior based on those expectations, make the expected outcome more likely to occur. 

impression management 

The communication strategies people use to influence how others view them

Perceived self

The person you believe yourself to be, though it may not be accurate in every respect.

Presenting self

A public image, the way you want to appear to others.

Face

Describes this socially approved identity

Facework

Describes verbal and nonverbal ways to maintain an image. 

Impression Management Can Be…

Deliberate or Unconscious

Deliberate Impression Management

Requiring conscious effort to maintain appearances.

Unconscious Impression Management

Communicators unconsciously act in ways that are performance for others.

Communicators manage their front in three ways:

Manner, Appearance, Setting

Manner

Consists of a communicator’s words and nonverbal actions.

Appearance

The personal items people use to shape an image.

Setting

The use of physical environment to influence how others view us.

Needs to be considered self-disclosing

1) Contain Personal Information about the sender 2) The sender must purposefully communicate this information 3) Another person must be the target.

Self-disclosure

The process of deliberately revealing information about oneself that is significant and that would not normally be known by others. 

Social Penetration Model 

Describes relationships in terms of breadth and depth of self-disclosure. 

Johari Window

A model that describes the relationship between self-disclosure and self-awareness. 

Privacy Management

Describe the choices people make to reveal or conceal information about themselves.

Catharsis

A benefit of Disclosure: Sometimes you might disclose information in an effort to “get it off your chest”

Self-Clarification

A benefit of Disclosure: It is often possible to clarify your beliefs, opinions, thoughts, attitudes, and feelings by talking about them with another person.

Self-Validation

A benefit of Disclosure: If you disclose information with the hope of seeking the listener’s agreement.

Reciprocity

A benefit of Disclosure: Increases the odds that the other person will reveal personal information. 

Impression Formation

A benefit of Disclosure: Can make themselves more attractive.

Relationship Maintenance and Enhancement

A benefit of Disclosure: People who disclose personal information are perceived as more likeable.

Moral Obligation

A benefit of Disclosure: Doing it as a sense of moral obligation.

Lie 

A deliberate attempt to hide or misrepresent the truth. 

Benevolent lies

Not being malicious, and perhaps even helpful to the person to whom they are told.

Equivocation

A statement that is not false but cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth.

Two types of self-fulfilling prophecies 

Self-imposed. Your own expectations influence your behavior. 
Other-imposed. When one person’s expectations govern another’s actions.