One of the most satisfying aspects of theorization is applying these theories to our everyday lives. This application can improve our communication skills, but it also gives us an opportunity to better evaluate the theories we are encountering in this course.
For this essay, you need to apply and evaluate the effectiveness of two theories to a real life communication conflict of your choice. This conflict (i.e. dispute, fight, quarrel, etc.) must be something you have experienced personally; it cannot be a hypothetical situation. You then need to discuss the strengths and limitations of each theory in helping you understand this dispute. The theories you may choose from are:
• Symbolic Interactionism – including concepts such as: I and ME; self and role-taking; the generalized other
• Coordinated Management of Meaning – including concepts about each individual’s framework for interpreting any communication and the stories they tell about the event; dialogue, mindfulness, reflexivity, and bifurcation points
• Social Penetration Theory – including concepts such as self-disclosure and social exchange
• The Interactional View – including concepts such as family as a system, the axioms of interpersonal communication, and reframing.
• Social Judgment Theory – including concepts such as lattitudes of acceptance, rejection and noncommitment, and ego-involvement.
You do not need to include every concept from the theories you apply. Instead, you should use the concepts that seem to best apply to the situation and best help you analyze and illuminate the dynamics of the relationship.
You need to address the following in your paper, though the sections should not be numbered. The format of this paper is much closer to a traditional essay, with a compare-and-contrast aspect to it that will carry out over eight paragraphs:
1) Include a brief description of the communication dispute and the interpersonal relationship. A “dispute” here means a specific fight or source of tension in the relationship; an interpersonal relationship is one with a family member, romantic partner, friend, or co-worker in which you are interdependent and your actions affect and matter to each other. A dispute should be a one-time occurrence, not a series of occurrences. This description should include the people, their relationship to each other, the “scene” of the dispute, and enough information about what happened to present a clear picture. Include only the most significant details of your dispute. This will help you apply your chosen theories to analyze the situation more carefully and clearly.
2) For the first theory you choose, include a brief description of the theory and justification for why you chose it. Here you should summarize the theory in your own words.
3) Analyze your dispute using this chosen theory. Be specific about what parts of the theory helped you understand the fight (or parts of it). Remember: a theory is like a lens that helps you focus on particular aspects of a phenomenon and see them in a new light.
4) Finally, discuss the limitations of the theory in helping to analyze the situation. Here, you should reflect on your own experience rather than simply copying the limitations from the textbook. Identify at least one limitation for the theory in relation to your situation, and more if appropriate.
5) 6) 7) Repeat parts 2-4 for the second theory of your choosing.
8) Conclude with some thoughts on which theory gave you better insight into this conflict. What was the most useful thing you learned from analyzing the dispute this way?