Describe yourself using five adjectives. Write a couple of sentences describing your personality.

Interpersonal Communication and the Self Self-Concept: Your subjective description of who you think you are. How do you describe yourself to others? What are your attitudes, values, and beliefs? Self- Esteem: An evaluation of who you think you are. Your “self-worth”

How Self-Concept Develops (3 of 5 listed) Looking-glass self (Charles Horton-Cooley, 1902). Interactions with others greatly inform our self-concept. Depending on the following: a. Repetition b. Credibility of the communicator c. Consistent with our own experience d. Self-Labels: The power to self label, shapes our self-concept (aka known as “avowal”) e. Self-reflexiveness- We talk to ourselves about ourselves. We often evaluate ourselves and are critical of the feedback others have given us. f. Your Personality- your individual personality characteristics

Big 5 Personality Traits Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness

Our Many Selves William James Different ways to define ourselves: Material Self: Tangible things you own: your body, your possessions Social Self: We potentially have many social selves: friend, family member, significant other, colleague, etc. Spiritual Self: infinite, or finite? An amalgam 0f your religious beliefs and your sense of who you are in relationship to other forces in the universe.

Self- Esteem Your “self-worth”- An evaluation of who you are. We often preserve our self esteem by facework: We use communication to maintain our positive perceptions of who we are. Preventative facework: saving face before the fact. “If I get a bad grade on the test, it will be because I’m working a lot of hours next week.” Corrective facework: saving face after the fact. “I’m sorry I was late, I got a ticket.”

What are methods that you use to boost your self esteem? Do they work?

Improving your Self-Esteem Engage in self-talk Visualize a positive image of yourself Avoid comparisons Reframe appropriately (one criticism doesn’t mean you are an awful person) Develop honest relationships Let go of the past Seek support/counseling

For homework, research the abundant list of tips on- line For homework, research the abundant list of tips on- line. Compile a list of the most promising ideas. Identify 5 tips that you’ll present to the class.

Self-Disclosure Purposefully providing significant information to others about ourselves that they wouldn’t have learned if we didn’t tell them. Depending on the information disclosed, a degree of vulnerability is the result. Self Disclosure conveys a level of trust and acceptance of another person. (Meyer and Rothenburg, 2005)

Levels of information Cliches (Phatic Communication) Fact/Bio info (Non-threatening) Opinions and attitudes (General likes/dislikes) Personal Feelings (Deep level feelings) Peak- Gut level (Secrets)

Take a few minutes and write down a few items for each level. Think of two different people, or groups with whom you communicate regularly. Does your list change? Why?

The Johari Window: Developed by American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in the 1950's, calling it “Johari” after combining their first names, Joe and Harry A simple and useful tool for understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, and team development.

Draw your own Johari Window diagram for two different people, or groups. Identify five opinions/attitudes that you have that reside in the “Open Quadrant.” (People know this about you and you are aware of these too.) Identify five opinions/attitudes that reside in the “Hidden Quadrant.” (Only known by you) Which opinions/attitudes to you tend to keep from this person/group? Why? Is there anything that you have discovered from a person’s/group’s feedback that would have been in the “Blind Quadrant” years/months ago, but are now in the “Open/Known by self Quadrant?” What was the context of the conversation? Is there anything that you and the other person/group have discovered that used to reside in the “Unknown Quadrant?” How did you discover this?

Primary Aim For homework, write your first draft of your Primary Aim.

Partner up and compare and contrast your diagrams. What can we potentially learn about ourselves from the Johari window?