COM Exam 1 simplified def

Self-awareness

understanding yourself through reflection and self-examination

Self-concept

the stable picture or idea you have of yourself

Self-esteem

how much you value and feel good about yourself

Personality

your usual way of thinking

Reflected appraisal

seeing yourself based on how you think others see you

Significant other

someone whose opinion matters a lot to you

Social comparison

judging yourself by comparing yourself to others

Reference groups

groups of people you compare yourself to

Cognitive conservatism

preferring information that matches what you already believe about yourself

Intersectionality

the combination of identities that shape a person's experiences

Self-fulfilling prophecy

an expectation that makes an outcome more likely to happen

Self-imposed prophecy

your own expectations affect your behavior

Other-imposed prophecy

other people's expectations affect your behavior

Identity management

trying to control how others see you

Perceived self

who you honestly think you are

Presenting self

the version of yourself you show to others

Self-disclosure

sharing personal information with others

Social penetration

relationships grow by sharing more personal information

Depth

how personal the information is

Breadth

how many different topics you discuss

Privacy management

choosing what information to share or keep private

Benevolent lie

a harmless "white lie" told to avoid hurting someone

Interpersonal relationship

a connection where people meet each other's needs

Social exchange theory

people stay in relationships when the benefits outweigh the costs

Hierarchy of needs

people meet basic needs before reaching their full potential

Culture

a group's shared beliefs

Co-culture

a smaller group within a larger culture

Intercultural communication

communication between people from different cultures

Linear communication model

one-way communication from sender to receiver

Transactional communication model

two-way communication where people send and receive messages at the same time

Environment

experiences and surroundings that influence communication

Noise

anything that interferes with communication

Interpersonal communication

communication between people who influence each other

External noise

outside distractions like sounds

Physiological noise

physical issues like hunger

Psychological noise

emotional distractions like stress

Content dimension

the actual information being discussed

Relational dimension

what a message says about the relationship

Quantitative definition of interpersonal communication

face-to-face communication between two people

Dyad

two people communicating

Impersonal communication

treating people like objects rather than individuals

Qualitative definition of interpersonal communication

communication that recognizes each person as unique

Communication competence

communicating effectively while maintaining good relationships

Cognitive complexity

seeing an issue from multiple perspectives

Empathy

understanding and sharing another person's feelings

Self-monitoring

observing and adjusting your own behavior

Defensiveness

protecting yourself when you feel attacked

Face-threatening act

behavior that damages someone's image or reputation

Evaluative communication

communication that judges or criticizes someone

Descriptive communication

explaining your thoughts or feelings without blaming others

Controlling communication

trying to make someone do what you want

Problem orientation

working together to solve a problem

Strategy

using manipulation to get your way

Spontaneity

being honest and direct

Neutrality

showing little concern or interest in someone

Superiority

acting as if you are better than someone else

Equality

treating others with respect and fairness

Certainty

acting as if your opinion is the only correct one

Provisionalism

being open to other viewpoints

Assertive message format

a respectful and direct way to express what you want

Behavioral description

describing only what was observed

Interpretation statement

explaining what you think someone's behavior means

Feeling statement

expressing how you feel about a situation

Consequence statement

explaining the impact and result of someone's behavior

Intention statement

stating what you want to happen next

Perception

the process of making sense of the world around you

Selection

choosing which information to pay attention to

Organization

arranging information into meaningful patterns

Perceptual schemata

mental categories used to organize information

Stereotyping

assuming a person has traits based on their group

Punctuation

deciding who caused or started an event or problem

Interpretation

giving meaning to information you receive

Negotiation

working with others to create a shared understanding

Narratives

the stories we tell about our experiences

Ethnocentrism

believing your culture is better than others

Gender roles

society's expectations for how people should behave based on gender

Attribution

explaining why someone behaved a certain way

Self-serving bias

taking credit for success but blaming outside factors for failure

Halo effect

assuming someone is good overall because of one positive trait

Perception checking

confirming whether your understanding is accurate

Sympathy

feeling sorry for someone's situation

Pillow method

looking at an issue from several different perspectives