Monday, October 6, 2008

After todays class i am left with many thoughts and corresponding theories. Since i have my degrees in communication i was constantly thinking of various theories in interpersonal communication, small group communication, and rhetoric. We discussed the idea of our self image versus our ideal image and how this effects our self concept. In interpersonal communication we rely on The Johari window as one way to discuss the idea of self concept and what is known to the person in question. 
This is also known as a self disclosure model which is really what we were talking about tonight. WE were discussing how a teachers comment to a student can give the person this knowledge that either aligns or is totally different from what that student feels is accurately part of them (i.e. self concept). Each contains and represents the information -feelings, motivation, etc -in terms of whether the information is known or unknownby the person, and whether the information is known or unknown by others in the team.

To expand on the Johari Window, there are four boxes within a box ( i will try to post a pic of this). Each contains and represents the information -feelings, motivation, etc -in terms of whether the information is known or unknownby the person, and whether the information is known or unknown by others in the team. There are four boxes: open, blind, hidden, and unknown. The "open" box is information that is known to the self and also known to others. The "blind" box  is information known to others but not known by self. The "hidden" box is the information known to self but not to others. The "unknown" box is information not known to self and not known to others.

When we discover people feel or think a certain way about us it changes our windows and how we see ourselves and also how we think others see us. For example, if a professor always gives feeed back when students respond with the exception of one student- this one student may begin to feel their contribution was not good or that the professor doesn't like them, value them, or think highly of them. This is problematic for obvious reasons. Ill blog more later


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