Introduction to Communication: COMM 101
syllabus
Journal 9: Communication and the Self
The “self” arises in our communication with others. Through my communication with others, I learn about how I function, how I develop, and how I react. In our class, we have done some self-assessment practices: the JoHari window, the creation of a personal standpoint diagram, analysis of the ways we conflict, and the ways that our communication changes in various media forms. For this assignment, you will talk to yourself in diary/journal form, so feel free to handwrite or type this one. Here are the criteria for your journaling entries:
- Assess yourself in response to the questions:
- How do I relate to family?
- How do I relate to peers?
- How do I relate to society?
- In your answers to these questions, I would like for you to use no fewer than 6 of the key terms in Chapter 9 of your text. This does not mean that you should define them. Rather, I want you to consider how “identity scripts,” “attachment styles,” and “direct definitions” play out in your family life. The point is not for you to use the words themselves, but rather to use the words to frame your thoughts in a true self-assessment, asking yourself, “Why do I communicate this way?”
- Spend some time on this and consider the statements on page 201 about assessing yourself fairly for true personal growth.
This is less an assignment and more a reflection, in true journal form.
J.A.McArthur, Ph.D. 