Thought Processes...

Week 2 BLOG #3



In chapter 5, Griffin reviews Herbert Blumer's theory of Symbolic Interactionism and this chapter is particularly interesting to me because I am a firm believer that effective communication is contingent on how individuals interact with one another and that it is two-way. One of Blumer's premises includes the thought process of 'taking the role of the other,' and that "the individual's interpretation of symbols is modified by his or her own thought processes" (p. 62). I know that when I am communicating with others, the way I interpret their words or actions (message) is affected by what or how I think of the sender of the message, the context of the message, and whatever other thoughts I may have. As I have mentioned before, I tend to 'think' a lot, and Griffin states that "symbolic interactionists describe thinking as an inner conversation, and Mead called the inner dialogue 'minding' defined as an inner dialogue used to test alternatives, rehearse actions, and anticipate reactions before responding; self-talk" (p. 62). I've never thought that when my thoughts are going, as a 'conversation' with myself, but it makes sense because I often do think of possible alternatives, anticipate responses, etc. in my mind before making my next move or saying my next words.

However, I do think that there could be a point where you are thinking so much about your thoughts, and taking the role of the others where it could possibly be detrimental to your communication... or moreso inhibiting. I recently was learned of a concept called "mindfulness" where by being mindful, you can try to center yourself and not let your thoughts get the best of you if it does begin to affect your communication or thought processes... this kind of delves into the realm of psychology... but I still found it really interesting. I don't want to go off on a tangent, but if you're interested in learning about it: www.mindfulness.com

Back to Griffin and Blumer, it's mentioned that "we naturally talk to ourselves in order to sort out the meaning of a diffucult situation" and I think that's very true... but we also have friends as sounding boards (at least I know I use them) to help us gain perspective of the other and validate whether your "talk" with yourself really makes any sense :)