Chapter 31 Face-Negotiation Theory

This theory is one that I found to be very interesting because it talks about different types of cultures and different ways of conflict management. I found it especially interesting because i was able to see what kind of conflict management styles i tend to use. Ting Toomy talk about "face" the image that we as individuals want people to see us as, and face management, the idea of keeping up with that image. She then talks about two different types of cultures, collectivistic and individualistic. I feel that many people may view these types of cultures as one being better than the other. I however, feel that they both are effective in their different ways. I tend to use this example a lot, but on my field hockey team we live in a collectivistic culture. We all have to make decisions for each other and need to think of our team as a whole and not just a bunch of individuals. I feel that this is important for any athletic team because if one person makes decisions only for the betterment of them self, than the whole team cannot continue as a whole. An example of an individualistic culture would be America. We are a country that allows people to think and act for themselves. People make decisions for themselves and for the betterment of their own lives. Along with this Toomy also talks about face management, the idea of keeping you self image up. When I think of this, the first thing that comes to my mind is when I came in to work late over the summer. I walked in and said that there had been a bad accident and traffic was horrible. By doing this, I am saving my face because I'm blaming my tardiness on traffic and not me.

Chapter 30 Anxiety Uncertainty Management Theory

This intercultural theory is one that I found to have a lot of truth to it. I have had a lot of experience being around people of other cultures and can relate to it. After our class discussion, I began to think of all the different people that I have met from other countries, and tried to think of times when I felt anxiety or uncertainty when meeting them. The one memory that stands out most in my mind is when I met one of my roommates, Charlotte, who was from Holland. I felt very uncertain about her culture and whether or not we would be able to get along because of the cultural differences. After getting to know her and learning more about each other's cultures, we became good friends and were able get by the culture barrier. I feel that this also relates back to the uncertainty reduction theory axiom that says that the more you disclose the less uncertainty you have. I definitely agree that this theory is very complex, I understand it in a broad spectrum, but have a hard time seeing the theory in every detail. I do however, find myself more conscientious of how competent I am. After learning about the four levels I am striving to be conscious and competent.

Chapter 29 Spiral of Silence

After discussing this theory in class, and really putting some thought into it, I began thinking of times when I either caught myself or someone else getting wrapped into the spiral of silence. I began thinking of the awkward middle school years when the social scene had a huge effect on one's life. There were numerous instances in middle school were there would be a certain person or group that would have an opinion about someone or something else, and I can remember going along with that because I was afraid to be singled out. Instead of voicing my own opinion I stayed quiet and went along with the rest of the group. By doing this I got caught up in the spiral of silence because I was afraid of being isolated. As time has past I have (for the most part) grown out of that because I have gained more confidence in myself. That goes along with the theory's 6 reasons for being more willing to speak out. Along with that you then have the vocal minority, the hard core, and the avaunt-garde. One example that first comes to mind when I think of the hard core is a man that is from my home town who you often time see walking around passing out fliers or holding up signs saying "the end is near", or asking questions of whether or not you have been saved. He is an example of the hard core group because he has already been isolated from everyone else, so he therefore has nothing to lose by doing this and expressing his views and opinions. When I think of the avaunt-garde I think of people like Melissa Etherage, who speaks out and writes music expressing her views on things like global warming, and even Pamela Anderson who is a spokeswomen for P.I.T.A. They are considered the avaunt-garde because they are speaking out for the better of our society and country, they are new age.

Chapter 28 Agenda-Setting Theory

After discussing McCombs and Shaw's theory on agenda setting in class it made me think a little differently about the news. Before learning about this theory I had always though that the news and media always covered stories on things on our society because they were the most important and the ones that needed to be addressed. After learning about the two levels of agenda setting that occurs with in the media, and the idea that the media tells us what to think ABOUT, my view on this has changed. Just the other night the news was covering the current story on Don Imus who was fired from CBS for making inappropriate racial comments on his talk show. The idea that the media is basically telling us to think about this issue never crossed my mind. Along with that In McCombs' first level of agenda setting he talks about the people who set the agendas foe the agenda setters. Looking back on this news story I can see how this specific station could have been told to broadcast this story because the person who owns the station could be connected to the station it occurred on, therefore being directly connected to it.

Chapter 27 Cultivation Theory

The cultivation theory takes a look at violence on television and give an explanation for how our culture perceives that violence and how it effects our lives and the way in which we view reality. After our discussion on class I decided to evaluate how much I watch television and really compare my thoughts to what Gerbner says in his theory. After doing this I also decided to talk with my roommates and ask them some of the questions we addressed in class. For example after asking them the question of what the likelihood of them being involved in a violence was, 2 of the 4 said that they had a 1 in 10 chance and the other two said a 1 in 1,000 chance. Because I live with them all I know how much television they watch a day and their answers directly reflected Gerbner's theory. The two who thought they had a low chance only watch about an hour of TV a day and the two who said they had a higher chance both always have their TVs on while they are in their rooms. After doing this I was able to see how TV really does effect our lives. However I am someone who falls into the middle grounds of TV watching so I am still somewhat sceptical of this theory.

Chapter 23 Dramatism

Chapter 23 talks about the basic idea that life is drama. When this theory was first explained to me I thought of my Art of Theatre class that I am currently taking. In that class we also talk about the idea that life is a drama in and of itself, and we are all the actors. In class we analyzed the 1984 apple commercial and compared it to this theory. After doing this I tried to think of other examples in my life that would show this theory. Burke talks about the idea of three interpretive lenses to help understand the drama, identification, dramatistic pentad and the guilt-redemption cycle. I found that the commercials for the U.S. Marines, provide a good example for this theory. The commercial connects with the audience first by relating it to them specifically, by showing a person that could be just like them. They then show this seemingly average person doing something extraordinary. This is the identification lens. They then bring in the dramatistic pentad by using the 5 different elements. The scene takes place both in the everyday life of this ordinary person, and then in the setting of the marine core on an obstacle course. The act is that average person going from his normal life to exciting and hard core the life of a marine. The agent is the man who is the "Average Joe". The agency is that man transforming himself from ordinary to extraordinary by becoming a Marine. The purpose of this commercial is to persuade and make people want to join the marine core.