Journal on Chapter 2
The main heading of this chapter is “Communicating and Identity, Creating and Presenting the Self”. In this chapter, two topics stood out for me. These were the second and fourth topics namely “Biological and Social roots of the Self” and “Culture Gender and Identity” respectively. Biological and Social roots of the self is a sub-topic that strives to provide an explanation for the contributory factors that play a major role in the development of an individual’s personality as well as (Adler and Proctor, 2010). In this topic, these are biology and society which can also be termed as nature and nurture. In sociological circles there has always existed a debate regarding the personality being an object of nature or nurture. This topic seems to concede to the almost equal significance of each. It can almost be stated that biological factors as well as societal factors have a relationship that is tantamount to that of equal partners who have a symbiotic relationship. This topic was of particular interest to me with respect to the issue of cultures and the existence of stereotypes. Though a controversial topic, I believe that stereotypes are worth investigating to see if there is any truth in them. This is mainly due to the fact that societal influences directly impact the formation of the self. Since stereotypes are applied to people who share a common ancestry, it is possible that biology too has a role. This could then be used to explain things such as athletic prowess and temperament in an empirical manner devoid of any speculation.
The subtopic of culture was also of particular interest to me due to the descriptions given for its formative factors. For a long time I have held the belief that the potential of the application of social sciences is yet to be fully applied. Having an understanding of how individualism or collectivism are manifested within a given culture can greatly help in the implementation of a wide array of social programs such as sales promotions and even administration of healthcare in a foreign land. I have had several misunderstandings in my interactions with foreign students because of a lack of appreciation of these concepts. This exposed me to the fact that a large number of people working in the service industry are forced to contend with such matters.
Chapter 3 Journal
The running title for this chapter is “Perception: What you see is what you get.”(Adler and Proctor, 2010) As stated in the previous journal entry, I have a particular interest in the application of concepts learnt in this subject to other areas of life, particularly public relations. As a result of this, the topics titled “Influences of Perception” and “Self Concept.” They mainly got my attention because they exposed me to ideas that I had not come across before in the past.
The Self Concept is mainly concerned with the way a person views him/herself as well as how the individual views others. What was most outstanding here is the fact that individuals tend to be overly lenient on themselves and this leads them to justify themselves even though they are wrong. Personally I always tend to validate whatever I do regardless of whether it makes sense to others or not. I have also been told by some of my close associates that I have a habit of overestimating my abilities. This is a clear discrepancy between what I think of myself and what friends think of me. At the same time, the topic discussed the way people tend to be harsh towards others and this makes us have a higher propensity to see the faults of other people. This is well manifested in the way people seem to always have a near-perfect account of flaws that another person has and at the same time have a hard time recalling the strengths or positives of that individual. As a result of this, tabloids make booming business because of the harsh judgment people make towards others. This is because celebrities are public figures thus making it commercially viable to produce publications that harshly judge them in the name of tabloids.
The influence on Cultural Differences on our perceptions also stood out because it clearly enlightened me on some matters that have for a long time baffled me. On an individual level, the Worldview held by an individual plays a key role in his or her perception (Adler and Proctor, 2010). Americans for instance tend to ascribe to individualistic beliefs and this means that their perceptions are largely based on the implication they believe the matter has on them. Individuals from the Far Eastern countries such as China on the other hand tend to view things from the perspective of its impact on the society they come from or social grouping they belong to. As a result their perceptions are greatly influenced by the experiences they have had within these groupings while Americans’ perceptions are shaped by personal intuition, interests and experiences.
Reference
Adler, R. B., & Proctor, R. F. (2010).Looking out/looking in.CengageBrain.com.
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