PSYC Interpersonal Exam #1

the self

an evolving composite of three components that develop continually over time based on life experience

self-awareness

the ability to view yourself as a unique person and to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

self-monitoring

using self-awareness to access how well your communication matches situational norms

social comparison (mead)

observing assigning meaning to others’ behavior and then comparing it with ours

qualities of a low self-monitors

prefer to “act like themselves”, say what they think and feel, without having to scrutinize their communication to fit norms

qualities of high self-monitors

prefer situations with clear expectations about how you are supposed to communicate

self concept

your overall perception of who you are, based on your beliefs, attitudes, and values you have about yourself

looking-glass self

when your self-concept is shaped by what you believe others think of you

self-concept clarity

the degree to which you have a sense of self that is

-clearly defined

-consistent

-enduring

what does self-esteem affect

interpersonal communication, relationships, physical and mental health

high self esteem outcomes

great life satisfaction

more positive and warm communication

greater happiness in relationships

greater leadership ability

low self esteem outcomes

less likely to share thoughts and feelings with friends

greater risk for depression

negative feedback loop

self esteem

the overall value, positive and negative, that we assign to ourselves

self-discrepancy theory

self-esteem is determined by how you compare “actual” self to

gender

the composite of social, psychological, and behavioral attributes that a particular culture associates with an individuals biological self

gender socialization

learn from others what it means personally, interpersonally, and culturally to be “male” or “female”

attachment anxiety

fear rejection

feelings of unworthiness, unlovability

fear of abandonment

attachment avoidance

prefer distance, solitude

fearful attachment

a tendency to fear rejection and shun close relationships

high avoidance & high anxiety

preoccupied attachment

a tendency to fear rejection but still desire close relationships

low avoidance and high anxiety

dismissive attachment

a tendency to view close relationships as unimportant, prioritizing self-reliance instead

high avoidance and low anxiety

secure attachment

a tendency to seek close relationships and feel comfortable and confident with intimacy

low avoidance and low anxiety

mask

a public self designed to strategically veil your private self

social penetration theory

an “onion-skin structure” consisting of sets of layers

intimacy

the feeling of closeness and union between us and our partners

face

public self- what you want others to see and know

perception

the process (series of steps) of selecting, organizing, and interpreting info from our senses

salience

what draws our attention

what is compelling, noticeable

organization

a phase of the perception process

punctuation

structuring the info into a chronological sequence aligning with how you experienced the order of events

attributions

explanations for others’ comments or behaviors

internal attributions

presume causes (character/personality)

external attributions

presume causes unrelated to personal qualities

schemata

mental structures containing info that defines concepts’ characteristics and interrelationships

fundamental attribution error (FAE)

tendency to attribute other’s behaviors to internal causes (the kind of person they are) rather than to social or environment forces affecting them

actor-observer effect

tendency to credit external forces as causes for our behaviors instead of internal factors

self-serving bias

tendency to credit ourselves (internal factors) instead of external factors for our success

uncertainty reduction theory

explains that the primary compulsion during initial encounters is to reduce uncertainty about our communication partners by gathering enough information about them that their communication becomes predictable and explainable

ingroupers

people you consider fundamentally similar to yourself because of their interests, affiliations, or backgrounds

outgroupers

people you consider fundamentally different from you because of their interests, affiliations, or backgrounds

personality

an individual’s characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and acting based on the traits they possess

self-enhancement bias

the tendency to view our own unique traits more favorably than the unique traits of others

implicit personality theories

personal beliefs about different types of personalities and the ways in which traits cluster together

gestalt

a general sense of a person that’s either positive or negative

positivity bias

a tendency for first impressions of others to be more positive than negative

negativity effect

a tendency to place emphasis on the negative information we learn about others

halo effect

a tendency to interpret anything another person says or does in a favorable light because you have a positive Gestalt of that person

horn effect

a tendency to interpret anything another person says or does in a negative light because you have a negative Gestalt of that person

algebraic impressions

impressions of others that continually change as we add and subtract positive or negative information that we learn about them

stereotyping

categorizing people into social groups and then evaluating them based on information we have in our schemata related to each group

empathy

understanding of another person’s perspective and awareness of their feelings in an attempt to identify with them

empathy mindset

beliefs about whether empathy is something that can be developed and controlled

perception-checking

a five-step process to test your impressions of others and to avoid errors in judgement

it involves checking your punctuation, knowledge, attributions, perceptual influences, and impressions

communication

the process through which people use messages to generate meanings within and across contexts, cultures, channels, media

message

the package of information transported during communication

interaction

a series of messages exchanged between people, whether face-to-face or online

modalities

forms of communication used for exchanging messages

sensory channels

perceptual pathways corresponding to our five senses: auditory (sound), visual (sight), tactile (touch), olfactory (scent), and oral (taste)

contexts

situations in which communication occurs. context includes the physical locations, backgrounds, genders, ages, moods, and relationships of the communicators, as well as the time of day

linear communication model

a depiction of communication messages that flow in one direction from a starting point to an end point

sender

the individual who generates, packages, and delivers a message

noise

environmental factors that impede a message on the way to its destination

receiver

the individual for whom a message is intended or to whom it is delivered

interactive communication model

a depiction of communication messages that are exchanged back and forth between a sender and a receiver and are influenced by feedback and the fields of experience of both communicators

feedback

verbal and nonverbal messages that receivers use to indicate their reaction to communication, such as a frown or saying, “I disagree”

fields of experience

beliefs, attitudes, values, and experiences that each communicator brings to an interaction

transactional communication model

a depiction of communication in which each participant equally influences the communication behavior of the other participants.

interpersonal communication

a dynamic form of communication between two (or more) people in which the messages exchanged significantly influence their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships

dyadic

communication involving only two people

intrapersonal communication

communication involving only one person, such as talking to yourself

impersonal communication

messages that have negligible perceived impact on your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, or relationships

I-Thou

a way to perceive a relationship based on embracing fundamental similarities that connect you to others, striving to see things from others’ points of view, and communicating in ways that emphasize honesty and kindness

I-It

a type of perception and communication that occurs when you treat others as though they are objects that are there for your use and exploitation

meta-communication

verbal or nonverbal communication about communication—that is, messages that have communication as their central focus

self-presentation goals

in interpersonal encounters, presenting yourself in certain ways so that others perceive you as being a particular type of person

instrumental goals

practical aims you want to achieve or tasks you want to accomplish through a particular interpersonal encounter

relationship goals

goals of building, maintaining, or terminating relationships with others through interpersonal communication

communication skills

repeatable goal-directed behaviors and behavioral patterns that enable you to improve the quality of your interpersonal encounters and relationships

appropriateness

a measure of communication competence that indicates the degree to which your communication matches the situational, relational, and cultural expectations regarding how people should communicate

phubbing

ignoring conversational partners during interactions by focusing instead on one’s phone

effectiveness

the ability to use communication to accomplish interpersonal goals

ethics

the set of moral principles that guide our behavior toward others.

ethical communication consistently displays respect, kindness, and compassion

gender

the composite of social, psychological, and cultural attributes generally associated with one sex or another

sexual orientation

emotional, romantic, and and/or sexual feelings towards other people

emotion

an intense reaction to an event that involves interpreting the meaning of the event, becoming physiologically aroused, labeling the experience as emotional, attempting to manage your reaction, and communicating this reaction in the form of emotional displays and disclosures

emotion-sharing

disclosing your emotions to others

emotional contagion

the rapid spreading of emotion from person to person, such as anger running through a mob

feelings

short-term emotional reactions to events that generate only limited arousal, such as the fleeting nostalgia you experience hearing a familiar song

moods

low-intensity states of mind that are not caused by particular events and typically last longer than emotions—for example, boredom, contentment, grouchiness, serenity

primary emotions

six emotions that involve unique and consistent behavioral displays across cultures: anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise

blended emotions

two or more primary emotions experienced at the same time

jealousy

a protective reaction to a perceived threat to a valued relationship

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

A therapy developed by psychologist Albert Ellis that helps neurotic patients systematically purge themselves of the tendency to think negative thoughts about themselves

emotional intelligence

the ability to interpret emotions accurately and to use this information to manage emotions, communicate them competently, and solve relationship problems

emotion management

involves attempts to influence which emotions you have, when you have them, and how you experience and express them

suppression

involves inhibiting thoughts, arousal, and outward behavioral displays of emotion

venting

allowing emotions to dominate our thoughts and explosively expressing them

acceptance

allowing emotions to naturally arise without damping or fanning them, and acknowledging that they are inherent component of human nature rather than judging them as good or bad

encounter avoidance

staying away from people, places, or activities that you know will provoke emotions you don’t want to experience

encounter structuring

intentionally avoiding specific topics that you know will provoke unwanted emotion during encounters with others