Deck 9: Communication and Self-Concept

Question 1

To assess ourselves effectively, we should __________.

A) make reasonable social comparisons
B) place judgments of ourselves in context
C) realize that who we are is always in process
D) assess ourselves in the perspective of time
E)all of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Howie is still not entirely sure how smart he is, so he asks other students in his first grade class how they did on a test. After checking with 5 other children, Howie realizes he did better than any of them and Howie concludes he must be pretty smart after all. The process by which Howie reached this conclusion is __________.

A) indirect definition
B) self-fulfilling prophesy
C) script
D) reflected appraisal
E)social comparison

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Things that others see in us but we do not see in ourselves are known in the Johari Window as __________ information.

A) hidden
B)blind
C) unknown
D) uncritical
E) open

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of communication with and influence of our peers?

A) reflected appraisals
B) self-disclosure
C) social comparison
D) direct definition
E)all of the above are examples of communication with peers

Question 5

As we interact with the generalized other, we learn which aspects of identity society considers important. Which of the following is emphasized in modern Western culture as key aspect(s) of personal identity and value?

A) race
B) gender
C) sexual orientation
D) socioeconomic class
E)all of the above

Question 6

Harry and Sally have had a long, loving, and stable relationship. We would expect that this couple __________.

A) would speak a great deal with each other, continually revealing a prodigious amount of new information
B) discloses more now than they did in the formative years of their relationship
C) discloses more salient than trivial information
D)discloses less now than they did in the embryonic stages of their relationship
E) a and b

Question 7

Jenny is looking through a popular women's magazine. She notices that most of the advertisements deal with beauty, looking young, or losing weight. These social values in the media are examples of __________.

A) the particular other
B) the generalized other
C) direct definition
D) identity scripts
E) none of the above

Question 8

"You are a big, tough boy who doesn't cry" Alice tells her son. Alice's statement is an example of __________.

A) identity script
B) anxious/ambivalent
C) self-fulfilling prophesy
D) indirect definition
E)direct definition

Question 9

Ray is very attentive and supportive to his son Robbie when he is sober, but when Ray drinks he often ignores his son and sometimes verbally abuses him. Robbie never knows which way his father will act. If the father is Robbie's primary caregiver, Robbie is likely to develop which attachment style __________.

A) fearful
B) secure
C)anxious/ambivalent
D) dismissive
E) defensive

Question 10

A clear understanding of how social perspectives influence our sense of self and guide our behaviors, attitudes, and values should be based on __________.

A) blind acceptance of norms
B) fixed, absolute truths
C) our immediate point in time
D) the dominant cultural values
E)a critical judgment about what we personally accept

Question 11

Secure attachment styles tend to develop in children whose caregivers __________.

A)are consistently loving and attentive
B) are more often loving than rejecting
C) alternately loving and rejecting
D) are socially conservative
E) b and d

Question 12

A powerful way that communication shapes the self is the self-fulfilling prophecy. Which of the following best describes a self-fulfilling prophecy?

A)During music practice, the conductor informs Sally that she is repeatedly missing the same note. Sally tells herself she will miss the same note in the musical recital. During the recital, she misses the same note that she told herself she would miss.
B) The conductor tells John that Sally will miss a note in the recital and then John tells Sally.
C) Sally secretly believes that John will miss a note in the recital and he does.
D) During a practice session, the conductor shouts at John because he misses a note. The conductor makes a bet with John that he will miss the note during the recital.
E) all of the above

Question 13

Where we shop, what we wear and what kind of car we drive, who our friends are, and where we live and work are all influenced by our __________.

A) race
B) gender
C) sexual orientation
D)socioeconomic class
E) all of the above

Question 14

Acting in ways that bring about expectations or judgments of others that have been expressed to us is known as __________.

A) the self
B) the significant other
C)self-fulfilling prophesy
D) the particular other
E) identity scripts

Question 15

The process of seeing ourselves through the eyes of others is known as __________.

A) generalized other
B) significant other
C) particular other
D)reflected appraisal
E) generalized appraisal

Question 16

The theory that asserts that people find uncertainty uncomfortable and so are motivated to use communication to reduce uncertainty is known as __________.

A) Johari Window
B) social comparison
C)uncertainty reduction
D) reflected appraisals
E) self-disclosure

Question 17

Jamie had problems in her math class and finally began to tell herself that she would never understand math. Jamie had failed to follow which suggestion for personal growth and awareness?

A) self-disclose appropriately
B) assess yourself fairly
C) set realistic goals
D)avoid self-sabotage
E) create a supportive context
TRUE/FALSE

Question 18

Jon says, "I am so stupid I'll never graduate from college. I just can't learn this Chemistry because I am so darned dumb!" Jon's self-communication is an example of __________.

A) being a downer
B) being an upper
C) being a vulture
D)engaging in self-sabotage
E) making a social comparison

Question 19

Howie isn't sure how smart he is until his teacher in first grade tells him she thinks he is very bright. Howie later tells his parents "I am a bright boy." The process by which Howie developed a view of his intelligence is __________.

A) indirect definition
B) self-fulfilling prophesy
C) script
D)reflected appraisal
E) social comparison

Question 20

Life scripts __________.

A)are the outcome of a largely unconscious process of internalizing the rules, roles, and basic climate for living that we learn from our immediate family
B) are direct definitions that through labeling, tells us who we are and how to behave
C) are broadly shared perceptions we learn throughout our lifetime from peers and social institutions
D) are self-concepts we gain through disclosing
E) are forms and patterns of affective and cognitive relationships styles

Question 21

A self-fulfilling prophesy is acting in ways that bring about expectations or judgments of ourselves.

Question 22

The __________ is an ever-changing system of perspectives that is formed and sustained in communication with others and ourselves.

Question 23

__________ is the revelation of personal information about ourselves that others would be unlikely to learn on their own.

Question 24

In the Johari Window, the area of self that represents information we know about ourselves but don't share with others is called the __________ area.

Question 25

Reflected appraisals are judgments that we make when gauge and evaluate others.

Question 26

A dismissive attachment style is cultivated when the caregiver communicates in a rejecting way to a child.

Question 27

Observing another person to learn more about them is a direct strategy of reducing uncertainty.

Question 28

Someone's socioeconomic class is more difficult to pinpoint than either race or sex.

Question 29

__________ are people who communicate negatively about us and our worth.

Question 30

Self-talk in which we tell ourselves we are no good, or that we can't do something is known as __________.

Question 31

A __________ __________ __________ develops when a child's primary caregiver responds in a consistently attentive and loving way to a child.

Question 32

Our rating of ourselves relative to others with respect to our talents, abilities, qualities, and so forth is called __________ __________.

Question 33

Life scripts are a form of how our friends communicate and influence us.

Question 34

Because we spend so much time interacting with our friends, our peer group usually sculpts the foundations of our self-concepts.

Question 35

The self is innate and part of our genetic makeup.

Question 36

A child who receives inconsistent treatment from a caregiver will most likely develop a __________ attachment style.

Question 37

The self changes over time as we engage in new experiences.

Question 38

__________ __________ is communication that explicitly tells us who we are by labeling us and our behaviors.

Question 39

Specific people who are especially significant to us and who shape how we see ourselves are known as __________ __________.

Question 40

The values and views endorsed by a society at any given time are arbitrary and subject to change.

Question 41

Discuss the influence of particular others and the generalized other in creating an individuals' sense of identity. Incorporate concrete examples into your response.

Question 42

List the three ways you can seek personal growth as a communicator, as discussed in Chapter 9. Discuss why each method is important and give appropriate examples for each.

Question 43

Explain and differentiate between the concepts of reflected appraisal and social comparison.