I think that Griffin does a really good job of summarizing things up in this chapter, reviewing all the theories. One of his threads, which reminds me entirely of me, is motivation for communication which he talks about on pages 472-474. He states: "Communication is motivated by our basic social need for affiliation, achievement, and control, as well as our strong desire to reduce our uncertainty and anxiety." (472). He makes it crystal clear that these are the reasons of how and why we choose to communicate. I was able to relate to each of those reasons as it occurred to me that not everyone will have the same reasons, or the same 'amount' of each reason, or even all of the reasons. It could just be one motivating factor for one person and another for someone else. This makes sense for social penetration and social exchange theories, as those involve interpersonal communication, for personal interests.
Depending on what my desire of an outcome is, I may act/communicate differently. Only after this class am I now able to stop and think "what do I want from this?" and choose to communicate accordingly. It's a useful tool.
[Watch *HD*] In the Heart of the Sea Full Movie
5 years ago
2 comments:
I agree. It is interesting that after such a short amount of time being spent in this course that we are able to leave with so many great tools and theories of communication. To be able to sit back and ponder exactly what you would like to accomplish by having a conversation with someone is very powerful. It is a tool that can be used in so many situations in life. What is amazing to me is that not many people realize it is a tool and when used properly you can receive the outcome you had hoped for without seeming like a manipulator.
Although I didn't blog about it this week, I'm intrigued by human motivation as well. What does motivate people to communicate--and to remain silent? Why do people decide to engage--or not? I'm not convinced motivation stems only from basic social needs, uncertainty, or other singular force. There are likely many, many factors at work that all play a role in what and how individuals communicate with each other. I like jRachaelb's point: "To be able to sit back and ponder exactly what you would like to accomplish by having a conversation with someone is very powerful." Simply reflecting on communicative goals can be a strong motivator to communicate--or not.
Post a Comment