Lecture 4 Four Big Giant Ideas Social Constructionism as we communicate so shall we be Depth Psychology Archtypes and Myths human emotion Another part of personality to help make decisions aren t aware of Archtype If there are monarchs out there inner monarchs may or may not be conscious up to us to figure out how to make it conscious Inner Hero Has to do with unconscious Lecture 6 Interpersonal Communication and Selfhood What makes you you Understand the various aspects that contribute to a sense of self hood and Explore how different theories of human behavior contribute to an understating of self hood and identity 9 inherent traits babies show before they are socialized More or less active could be linked to genetics Other inherent traits more or less expressive more or less emotional more or less social shyness capacity for joy propensity for sadness Empirical level We inherit our character from our ancestors Objectives identity Genetics Culture To be she in American standards is normal in Japan American children are taught to be independent and self reliant at an early age Chinese children are taught to rely on parents and older siblings I can t pick my culture but I can pick WHAT from my culture human minds and culture are the same thing the who we are is a part of social constructionism American told to be themselves Whatever we have inherited from out ancestors will gain meaning from the way our culture contextualizes it QUOTE ON TOP OF PAGE 57 Think Helen Keller example culture tells us how to interpret things Relationships At an interpersonal level we could say the self is dialogical What do I want to be and who do I want to be with Need people around to contribute to who we are ON EXAM The uniqueness developed between people becomes the source of uniqueness eventually identified as within the individual We need other people to be whom we are ex Cant be funny is nobody is there to laugh It is through others that we co construct the who of who we are THINK some people bring out different aspects of who we are Self is like a diamond with many facets reflecting the different identities we have built in our various relationships Taking on a role is not faking self it is making self Role Conflict When we find ourselves confronted with two mutually exclusive groups of people in our lives we have a hard time to figure out whom to be ex Camp friends and home friends The I and the Me I is doing Me is evaluating Review in Communications Study for Test 1 on more information on this topic Experience and action symbolic interactionism etc Lecture 7 Self Esteem and Social Interaction Objectives To understand the fundamental nature of self esteem in human life To understand the paradoxical drive of heroism and self esteem To understand how social interaction serves as the stage of self esteem To appreciate the fragility and contingency of identity and selfhood The Human Drive Towards Heroism Human beings have need to expand their own life Pg 65 Drives Something we are compelled to do Self esteem Heroic drive to specialness Heroic Drive Drive to do something heroic or to make meaning doctor athletes romance drives EVERYONE Commitment When you re in over your head Peak Moment Can happen anywhere striving to hit our peak moments Praise doesn t equal self esteem The Problem With Self Esteem Precarious dependent on circumstances beyond ones control we have to get it constantly achieving it what we get when we fill heroic drive Transferring People project their own power and ability onto their heroes Heroes cast a nexus of unfreedom around their followers We transfer out goals to our heroes ex Parents Bring order to chaos We transfer so we don t feel responsible our unlived potential People crave heroes Heroes need villains Nazi s vs Jews ex THE BEST HEROES DO NOT DEFEAT PEOPLE BUT DEFEAT HUMAN AILMENTS ex Cancer hunger peace Heroes are black and white good and bad It is human nature to make others the enemy but we need to get past human nature Victim and perp same at one point WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL W HEROES We need somewhere to put our faith human condition choose where you put your faith even though ppl will disappoint you you must keep your faith Reason We try and produce things that will last even when we are gone The person who shrinks from the expansion of their life force pulls back from heroism lives wasteland life life w out passion integrity or zeal A life unlived is a life not lived how you wanted to live it but the way we think we should live our lives according to socially Hero System Gives us a sense of self esteem Doing something for someone else Idea of the treadmill When we keep buying things to keep the feeling of the buzz ex iPhone TOP OF PAGE 67 Heroism in manifest into two paradoxical needs EROS VS AGAPE We hunger for Heroic Belonging Universal Drives Agape and Eros EROS Vs AGAPE EROS Need to stand out and apart from cohorts LIFE WITH EROS DO EVERYTHING FOR YOURSELF AND NOT ENOUGH FOR OTHER PEOPLE AGAPE Need to merge with a group community or a purpose larger than oneself selfless love ex Parents love for a child LIFE WITH AGAPE DO EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE ELSE AND NOT YOURSELF You want to merge BOTH eros and agape stand apart but also be apart How does my need to stand out and blend in contribute to my self esteem Or need to stand out Death cuts through the bullshit Face to Face Interaction as a Heroic Arena Self esteem Have to keep earning it second time this definition has come up the most precarious thing a person has With it life is meaningful and world is a place of opportunity Without it life is worthless Problem w self esteem Can t give it to ourselves need other people BOTTOM OF PAGE 69 Because self esteem is so fundamental precious and precarious because we need others ex Obama not shaking hands with president of Iran symbol We loose our ability to think autonomously freely we need heroes but we need to be careful person Hallowed Event Self esteem of both participants validating the other The idea of Face existentialism bc you they are choices confirming face or not Face Face is not something we own face resides in stream of events between people Self esteem made social and then made known How I want you to se me want to confirm w other people something we do Face is societies window to the core of the self face rituals ensure the gentle handling of our face by others Be somebody to somebody or else I m nobody Make the world meaningful by interactions w other