Cultural Universals

One concept that I thought we could have touched more on is cultural universals. According to our book, cultural universals are defined as, the variety of interconnected activities that are found in virtually every culture and are common to all people who live together in social groups. Some of these could consist of: Age grading, athletics, courtship, etc. I thought that we could have gone into a little more detail with this concept because I think it is great to learn about other cultures. I think that there could have been more examples regarding cultural universals and maybe have gone into a little more detail. To me, cultural universals also seem like concepts that could also be used in different research, possibly to get a bit more insight on different cultures and the activities that they use in their day-to-day life. I also think that it is important that we all learn about cultural universals because regardless of what cultural you are, these activities are common, however, they vary from culture to culture. Being more in-tune with these activities would also help us communicate with others and learn to respect their customs. 

Effort Optimism

The concept I found interesting in the book was effort optimism. This is defined as the belief that hard work will pay off. I feel as though I practice this in my everyday life. I think that it is important to work hard for what you want and as long as you work hard good things will come to you. The book also states that “people in other countries may ‘expect to be rewarded on the basis of the social position of their family or clan’ rather than their own efforts.” I also believe this to be true. I have family in Mexico and some of them good hard, but I feel that in a sense, they want to be rewarded for their doings. Whether it be the family holding them in a “higher status” in the family or other types of recognition, they want to be rewarded. I think that it is more important to please oneself and work hard in order for good things to come your way. 

Class Reflection

I feel like I have learned a lot from this class. When most people think of communication, they think about speaking from one person to another and it is much more than that. Communication consists of much more than having a conversation from one person to another; cultural values, traditions and several other concepts are all integrated in communication. I really enjoyed this class and I don’t think anything should be changed. I liked the fact that our schedule was available for the semester from the beginning of the class and that our quiz and test scores were instant. My favorite of all however, were the blogs. I enjoyed that, although it was an assignment, we did not have to write it in the structure of an essay. We were able to write as we would normally speak, and when someone would read it, the reply back was like a conversation. I feel like because of the fact that I enjoyed the class so much I would not change anything. 

Mental Sets

What interested me the most in chapter 2 was the mental set. Our book states that, “ a mental set consists of a person’s beliefs, values, attitudes, feelings, and so on.” The book also stated that because of mental sets there could be a lot of misunderstandings. I have to agree with the book. I think that most of us will always interpret the same message in different ways. In order for there not to be a misunderstanding, communication is more successful when two people have the same mindsets. A prime example that I have was when I was living with my best friend and another mutual friend. My best friend and I never had misunderstandings and would often have the same mentality or view on different things however our other friend did not. We would always have misunderstanding because he would misinterpret something I said, but my best friend would understand it completely. At first I thought that it was because she was my best friend so she understood me, but then I realized that he and I had two different metal sets, and no matter how hard I tried, he would most likely never understand me. 

Pragmatic Perspective

In our book, the pragmatic perspective is defines as, “a system of interlocking interdependent “moves” which become patterned over time.” I would have to agree with this perspective because I feel like we all have a pattern in our daily lives. Whether it be waking up everyday at the same time and having a morning routine to start your day. My personal example is my patterned experience at my first job. Every morning I would get to work put my stuff down and go straight to the kitchen. My coworker who sat next to me at the front desk, was in charge of making sure the phone are up and running. This became a pattern over time and slowly we began doing it with out thinking. In a sense it is like a game; one would not work without the other. I would like to think that most people have a morning routine, we all wake up, brush our teeth, etc. Although this may not need a partner in order to be completed, the more we practice them in the morning, the faster it becomes a pattern. 

My Own World

As I considered the social constructionist perspective and how we build our “own world” I thought of all the different words in Mexico that have the same meaning but are different words. Even though it is the same culture, there are different customs that different parts of Mexico value. The first thing that popped into my head was Mexican Mothers Day. In Mexico, we celebrate it on May 10^th instead of every third Sunday in May like we do in the U.S. Although we are in the United States, the women in my family still celebrate Mexican others day. I believe that this is a part of our own world because unlike the U.S., Mexicans choose to celebrate Mothers Day on the 10^th regardless if it is a Sunday or not. Schools are closed, businesses are closed, and most families get together for a festival-type events. Although the women in my family may not celebrate it the way it is celebrated in Mexico, I like the fact that they can feel like they still value their traditions.

Concept from Ch. 13

A concept that I found interesting in chapter 13 was a leading question.  According to our book a Leading question is defined as, “ a question that indicated a preferred response”. Some example of these questions could be “ Don’t you think that red is a better color for a wall?” The reason that these questions should be avoided is because the answer could end up in a biased opinion. Once these questions are asked on a survey, people will most likely end up answering according to the preferred response, thus making it a biased response. I one took a research class in which we had to conduct questionnaires and had participants fill them out. The teacher would doc off points for anyone who had a leading question because then the results would not longer be accurate because of the biased answers. I think that in order to have a good questionnaire that participants should be able to answer the way they would want to answer and not be influenced by a leading question.  

Ethnographers

Ethnographers are professionals who learn from observations. Their reasons for observing behavior are scientific rather than personal. “Their reason for this is because they want to observe and understand how members of other cultures interpret the world.” Some steps to ethnographic research are covert roles and overt roles. Covert roles are like being “undercover” and becoming a member of the group being studied without anyone knowing. Overt roles are when scientists enter the field as a scientist and people know that they are being observed. The moral dilemmas that arise with this type of research is that the scientist has to make the decision whether or not to be deceitful or accepting the fact that he would have to judge people who have already learn to trust them.

I would try and resolve this by first trying out the overt role. Here I would let the people know what my intentions are and try to build a relationship with them. It always better for people to know what is going on before then feel betrayed after. 

Survey Research

After looking at the research methodologies on table 13.3, the one I found most interesting was Survey Research.  I found this research method the most interesting because it give people the opportunity to participate in the research.  The proctor is responsible for developing and administering the questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is answered by the desired amount of people, the proctor is able to record and code the responses. From my experiences with survey research, it is important to make sure that you always ask the right questions in order to successfully complete the research. I also enjoy the high level of interaction I get with the participants while I am administering the questionnaires.

If I were to study deception, the research question I would ask would be: “If you had the opportunity to cheat on your significant other with the chance that him/her wouldn’t find out would you take the chance and cheat or stay faithful?” I would use the survey research methods to develop a questionnaire and ask questions regarding the topic and also ask some demographic questions. I would compare answers from men and women, age groups and culture to find the appropriate answers that I need.  

Television is a cool medium.

I agree with Marshell McLuhand that the medium is a message. I think that for the most part, people become intrigued in what they see or hear. When we watch television, we are interested in what is going on and what we can visually see. Personally, I become more interested in something that I can visually see. If I am really interested in a certain show and I hear it rather than see it, I would not be as interested because I cant not see what is actually going on I would instead have to imagine it.

I agree with McLuhan saying that television is a cool medium. When I watch TV, I am interested in actually seeing the show and wondering what is going to happen. When you hear a broadcast of your favorite show, in a sense it is a bit deceiving because that narrator has to often times, fill the role of all the characters. There is also not as much action and drama as there would be if more characters were involved. I also believe that what keeps people interested is the fact that the picture is always changing and we are more focused on what is going on rather than have to focus on listening to what is happening. 

Upward Communication

A concept that I found interesting in chapter 8 was upward communication. Upward communication is “when a message travels from the bottom of the chart toward the top (records clerk to operations director. I found this was very interesting because, for the most part, most organizations have downward communication; the director sends orders or a memo to the clerk and they have to comply. I can relate to downward communication because my first job, we had to do what was told when it was asked and we never had much say. The job I work for currently is more focused on upward communication. Whenever I have had a problem or something that I couldn’t figure out, I have the ability to go to the department director and speak to him. I find that upward communication is very effecting because it shows that employees can confide in their superior and ask questions with out feeling less. I think it is also very important because it make employees feel like they have a say and their voice can be heard. I believe that in order to have a successful company, one should always focus on upward communication. 

Cyber Relationships

I can’t say that have formed friendships that exist exclusively on cyberspace. I think the closest friendship that I have had in cyberspace was with one of my cousins’ friends. I had met him before at her house but I never really had a conversation with him, just kind of a hi and bye type of thing. One day I get a friend request and I thought to myself, what’s the worst that can happen it’s not like he is a complete stranger. Well, in a sense he wasn’t a complete stranger, I just didn’t know him as well as other friends. I received a message and we started chatting. It wasn’t a big deal to me but for him apparently it was. His chats began to pop up a little more frequently and each time he revealed something else about himself. We actually became good friends. I saw him only once in a blue moon, but very very rarely. So one day I get to my cousins and he was there. It was probably the most awkward moment of my life; I greeted him like I would greet any other friend, but he acted like he didn’t know me. He just ended up being all-around weird, so I decided our “cyber friendship” had to end.

Although my case was mostly cyber, even though we had had f2f contact, I think that some people feel more comfortable chatting and getting to know others without having to physically interact with them. I think that it is hard to interpret peoples real feelings and emotions because we can only read what people are saying and we can’t hear the sound of their voice, or the tone in which they are saying things.

Cognitive Cues vs. Pre-Interaction Cues

The characteristics that have lead me to judge others as unattractive have not so much been physical characteristics rather than personality and the quality of person that they are. The characteristics I value in a person are honesty, trustworthiness and loyalty. Unattractive characteristics that lead me to judge people are laziness, people that are disrespectful, and people who do not value themselves as a person. I think that this is very important because if I am with someone who cannot value themselves as a person, when would make me think that they would value me?  I agree completely with Ducks theory. I think that we as humans use various filters until we find someone that we think are perfect for us. I would be lying if I said I had not eliminated someone due to a pre-interaction cue. When I met my first boyfriend, I automatically eliminated him because in my eyes, he was not as attractive as I would have like. I thought he seemed a little arrogant and self-centered. Once I got to know him, he was completely the opposite. This is where the cognitive cues kicked it. I reconsidered him as a potential partner because we actually ended up having a very similar attitude and share practically all of the same values. At the beginning I was only basing him off of pre-interaction cues but once I got to know him, the cognitive cue stood out more than the pre-interaction cues. 

Rigid, competitive, and submissive patterns.

Which pattern (rigid complementary, competitive symmetry, or submissive symmetry)do you think would be the most difficult to change? Why? Which would be the most damaging to a relationship? Which would be the most potentially damaging to te individual involved?

I think that out of the three stated above, the most difficult one to change would be submissive symmetry. Submissive symmetry is when both parties struggle to relinquish control. I think that this would be the most difficult to change because one person wants to give the other the opportunity to decide but the other person doesn't want to make decisions either. I think it would be hard to change because decisions would never be made or it would take forever to make them. One is also already used to trying to get other people to make decisions so when it comes down to actually having to decide on something it will be harder for the person because they are dependent on others to make decisions for them.

The most damaging to a relationship would be comepetitive symmetry. This is when both members fight for a one-up position. I think it would be the most damaging to a relationship because both parties are trying to be in control; when this is difficult to achieve, patience may run low resulting in a sour ending.

The most potentially damaging to the individual involved I think, would be rigid complementary. The example given in the book talks about a parent and child relationship. For the most part, parents make decisions and children follow them, however, the child may rebel making it hard for the parent. I think that this would be especially damaging for the parent because once the child starts rebelling more often and not listenting, the parent may feel as though they have not been successful in their parenting and they may think that they have failed which would result in low self-esteem for the parent.

Group Synergy

One concept that I found interesting in chapter 7 was group synergy. According to our book “group synergy is the idea that groups are often more effective than the best individuals within them.” Through group synergy you can gather information and find out different interpretations of the same concept with the members of your group. I once took a communication class and we had to form different groups for each presentation and I thought it was a good experience. Through our group we were able to motivate each other and spark off of each other’s ideas. Group synergy is especially effective within groups because it allows group members to work together in a team, support and motivate each other, and help each other understand a concept from a different perspective. From my experience, I was able to work together, as I would be in a job setting, and find strategies and we also feed off of other group members energy and if they are enthusiastic about the project or presentation then it will rub off on us and we will also be enthusiastic about it. 

Ethnocentrism

A concept that I found interesting in chapter 12 was ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is defined as “the belief that one's own culture is superior to all others and the tendency to judge all cultures by one's own criteria.” I think that ethnocentrism is very common within cultures. There have been many people that I have interacted with that believe that their culture is above all other cultures. Although I do not agree with it, I think that it is very common for some cultures to think that they are superior to everyone else. I think it is especially hard for people that have immigrated to the United States to not think they are superior because that is all they know. Once they are exposed to other cultures they begin to develop stereotypes and slowly start believing that their culture is superior to all other cultures. I think that these stereotypes develop from negative experiences that people have with other cultures and often times it is hard to break these stereotypes because they have never experienced anything positive with that particular culture. If more people of different cultures interacted with one another, I don’t think that ethnocentrism would be as common as it is.

Creatures of our own culture

I believe in Ruth Benedict’s statement that we are creatures of our own culture to a certain extent. I believe that our culture shapes who we are and is a big part of our environment but only while we are growing up. One big example that I have is of my mom’s brother. My uncle was born in Mexico along with my mom, and when they were about 3 and 5 years old, they came to the United States. My grandparents raised them both with very Mexican customs and as they were growing up, both he and my mom were very much creatures of their own culture. As my uncle became a young adult, he started straying away from his culture and by the time he was married with kids, he had fully adapted to the American culture. His children do not really speak Spanish and they cannot identify with the Mexican culture. This is why I believe that at one point or another we are all creatures of our own culture, however, once we are old enough to make our own decisions, we choose whether we want to live our lives as “creatures of our own culture” or not.

Rationality premise, Perfectibility premise, and Mutability premise.

The three premises that most Americans have are: rationality premise, perfectibility premise, and mutability premise.

The rationality premise is defined as the belief that most people are capable of discovering the truth through logical analysis. The one social institution that I can think of that practice this belief would be a government institution, for example, a court hearing or a trial. Lawyers, judges, and jurors all put their part to figure out whether or not the person being convicted is innocent or guilty. We must use the rationality premise to think logically and figure out if the person is lying or telling the truth and base our decisions on the facts that are provided. I believe in this premise because I have seen this happen first hand. Some human beings are very smart and are able to figure out the truth just by things they observe or people that they may have doubt in, so through logical analysis they are able to figure out the truth and just what they were looking to find.

The perfectibility premise is based on the old Puritan idea that humans are born in sin but are capable of achieving goodness through effort and control. I do not necessarily agree with this, however, I do not disagree with it either. I was raised in a catholic home and I went to Catholic private school so I was always taught that all children were born with original sin.  I can’t say that I agree that we are born in sin because when a child is born, they are so innocent and do not know right from wrong. I do believe that people are capable of achieving goodness through effort and control. I think that we have a general sense of what is right and wrong; therefore most people will try to do right so they can achieve that sense of “goodness.”

The mutability premise is the assumption that human behavior is shaped by environmental factors and that the way to improve humans is to improve their physical and psychological circumstances. This is another premise that I agree with to a certain extent. I agree that the environment that we live in does shape our behavior and often makes us who we are, however this may not always be the case for everyone. For example, I was born in Oakland CA, a city that does not have the greatest reputation. People would always blame school, the environment and other children for the bad behavior of their own children. I think that in this case, the environment is no excuse for a child’s bad behavior. When I lived in Oakland, I had neighbors of all paths of life; drug dealers, older married couples, young families, etc. and I was raised and still have great values. I, nor my parents, allowed myself to be a product of my own environment. I think that the environment that you are raised in does have some affect in our behavior, but it is what goes on in the home and what you are taught as a child that really mold children in how they are meant to be.

Affect Displays in chapter 5

A topic that I found interesting in chapter 5 was affect displays. Affect displays is the presentation of feelings and emotions through nonverbal communication. Affect displays are expressed though facial expressions of body movements. Frowning may be a sign of sadness or dissatisfaction whereas a big grin may mean a sign of happiness and joy. I am the type of person that is very expressive. There have been so many times that people have told me that I look upset or sad just by the look on my face. Sometimes my face will just naturally look upset, even when I am not, but there are other times when there is no denying that I am upset. There are also times when I unintentionally make a face, when I am trying not to. I remember distinctly a time that my aunt had made dinner and when I went to taste it, I felt myself instantly make a face. It wasn’t because I didn’t like but more so because it was so spicy. Thankfully she didn’t not see my reaction, but that is just one of the many examples affect displays are expressed.

Language between Genders

I agree that men and women use language differently to a certain extent. When I have observe a group of men interacting, I often notice that they way that speak to each other is more vulgar and not as respectful. When women are present, they often tend to tone down the vulgar and inappropriate language. This is not always the case however. My male cousins, for example, don’t ever really tone down their cursing and foul language around certain females they are around because they speak just the same as the guys do. When they are around some of my other female cousins, they know not to talk in a disrespectful manner because my female cousins will get offended. Women also have a different style of speaking. A lot of the women that I have interacted with seem a little more tender hearted when speaking, whereas some men are very blunt and say things how it is without feeling bad. Although I agree that males and females use language differently, I think that it also depends on the person. I have met females that can be so nice and respectful but also curse like a sailor and say what they think without caring if they hurt anybody’s feelings and I have also met some males that look as though they would be rude but have a very sweet demeanor. This is why I agree that men and women use language differently to a certain extent. As a woman there are certain things I would never say but other women would and I’m sure there are some things that men say that other men wouldn’t. I think that if we look at the bigger picture, men and women do use language differently, but it also depends on the person.

Judging and categorizing others.

Personally, I don’t think it is possible to perceive others without judging or categorizing them. I think when we initially meet someone we start categorizing them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing, however, we can think that someone has a great sense of style when we first meet them and think that they may have money because of the way they dress but they in fact, may not be as wealthy as we think. I will be honest and say that when I first meet people, so many things run through my head. First I observe their demeanor, if they are not very approachable, I will automatically think they are rude or unkind. If they are nice, I will put more effort to carry on a conversation. I think this goes for everyone though, I have heard so many times, “When I first met you I thought you were this or that” without really getting to know me first. I think that first impressions go hand in hand with judging. Another example of this can be when you first meet someone who has a more revealing style of dress. People may automatically think she is easy or is dressing like that for attention, and although a lot of the times that may be true, we can’t really judge the type of person that they are just by the style of dress. I once, read an article about a famous violinist, Joshua Bell, who dressed as a bum and played the violin at a metro station and nobody, paid attention to him. A few days prior to that, he had a sold out performance where the tickets sold for an average of $100. This goes to show that we all judge when we first meet or see people that we do not personally know.

I think that in order to make to judgments more fair, we should first get to know the person and then have our opinions and judgments. This may sometimes be difficult because we all have a first impression of people even before they speak, but we should give them a chance to really get to know them before we start thinking negative thoughts. There have been times where I have judged people because of first impressions, but then we actually end up being great friends once I get to know them.

Concept from Chapter 10

One concept that I found interesting in chapter 10 was extemporaneous speaking style. This type speech is often defined as a speech that is preplanned but should be more conversational rather than reading from note cards or an outline. For me, this has been the most difficult speeches I have had to do.  Personally, I think that I can communicate quite well. I am able to carry on an intellectual conversation and not feel nervous or sound like I have no idea what I am talking about. When I give speeches, however, it is a little harder to be more relaxed and not as nervous. I specifically remember a time in eighth grade when my teacher, Ms. Capra made the class write and deliver an extemporaneous speech about anything we wanted that we would teach something to the class. I remember going up in from of the class and giving a speech on how to make chocolate brownie walnut cupcakes. Although I have made these cupcakes several times and have explained the process to people in my family, for some reason I could not concentrate and forgot some steps, forcing me to read the forgotten steps from the note card , thus not speaking extemporaneously. I can remember I was so embarrassed and I felt beet red. At that time, I could not understand why it is that she was making us give these types of speeches. It was not until college that I was faced with the dreadful extemporaneous speeches again and although I was still nervous, I now knew how important it was to speak extemporaneously and eloquently, especially when giving a speech for people that could possibly be my next employer. 

Social Constructionist Perspective

I think that each one of us have our “own world” merged into one big world. If we think about every culture in the world, not any one is the same. We build worlds through communication by the things that we learn and the way we are spoken to when growing up. For example, I am full blooded Mexican. I speak and write Spanish fluently. My friend is also Mexican and speaks Spanish and writes it fluently as well, but our styles of communication are very different. Even some customs that she has are very different than mine. We may both be Mexican, but we have two very different worlds. Another prime example is one of my aunts. Ever since I was little, she would rub Vicks vapor rub on the bottom of my feet whenever I got sick. Once I moved always to college and did the same exact thing, my dorm roommate looked at me as if I was crazy. This was so natural to me because I grew around it. This was part of my “own world”. I think the fact that we all have different worlds is great because we are able to learn different things about different cultures and we can see that each culture is so different from our own. I think that people who are able to identify with their culture can provide others with traditions that they have grown up with and vice –versa.

My favorite and least favorite speakers.

I think that the best speaker I have heard to this day was my dad’s cousin who is a deacon. At my aunts funeral he read the sermon and followed it with his homily and I must say it was one of the best homilies I have ever heard.  He spoke with so much grace and eloquence that it was so hard not to listen. He started off by summarizing the sermon and explaining what it meant to him. He then proceeded to tell us a personal story of my aunt which tied into how we, as a family, should respect one another and all the problems that we have had should be resolved and buried in the past. This impacted me the most because the week leading up to her funeral, there was lots of bickering and fighting over the most insignificant things. The deacon, not knowing much about the bickering and fighting, really hit the nails on the head with his homily. I thought it was especially powerful because of the way he spoke. I felt as though it was more conversational rather than just being talk to. His non-verbal gestures, hand movements and facial expressions really tied into exactly what he was feeling at that moment. I have heard many priests and deacons preach before, but this one just blew me away. I could tell that he knew exactly what he was talking about and you could hear the confidence he had while he was speaking to a room full of people.

The worst speaker I have ever heard was during a meet and greet with the new director for the division I work for. Being a state worker, I have come across so many different people for different walks of life. Some only have a high school education and others have their PHDs. Well, you would think that being a director for a government organization he would know the proper way to give a speech. WRONG! His speech was not extemporaneous at all; he read directly from his paper and did not give eye contact until he was done reading. His voice was so monotone that it was hard to even stay awake. I was really expecting someone who knew what they were talking about and just exuded confidence, but I was totally wrong. The only thing that I really remember about his speech was his name; he did not keep me interested at all. Overall, it was just a bad experience.

Introductory Post

My name is Jackie Favela and I am from Oakland,  Ca. I currently live in Sacramento, however I attended SJSU from 2006-2009. While attending SJSU I was a Public Relations major, but once I transferred to Sacramento State, I changed my major to Communications with an emphasis on intercultural and small groups. I have really enjoyed the communications classes that I have taken at both schools because I feel that they have helped me learn a lot about myself as well as how to deal with certain situations with others. I enjoy doing a lot of outdoor activities such as going camping, fishing, hiking and golf, but I also enjoy staying home and doing crafts around the house. I like to live my life with no regrets and take each set-back in life as a learning experience and a stepping stone to built a better future.