Class Notes

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SELF-CONCEPT

I.  Origin (Where it comes from)
    A.  Looking Glass Self - How others treat you 
    B.  Social Comparison Self - How you think you measure up to others
        

II.  Dangers of Self-Concept
        1.  Resists change - once information becomes belief, (by age 4 on 
            some issues), our self-concept does not want to change.  We'll  
            discard,ignore or explain away information that conflicts with  
            what we already "know" to be true about us.
        2.  Projection - putting how I feel about myself onto others.  Ex.- 
            When I'm lonely, I see sad people everywhere.
   

III. Self-Esteem > How you feel about yourself
     A.  The LIE:  My worth = other's opinions + my performance
     B.  Living the LIE produces Fear of Failure
         1.  Perfectionism - unwilling to fail
             a. Focus on 1 failure rather than 100 successes
             b. Appear highly motivated (fear)
             c. 'Have to' mentality - 'I have to get an A' (because my self-
                worth is related to my grades), 'I have to get to class on  
                time' (because I cannot bear my teacher's disapproval).
             d. Are often taken advantage of by manipulative people

         2.  Risk avoidance - willing to try ONLY what we will succeed at
             a. Often called 'lazy'or 'slacker'
             b. Appear unmotivated (fear)
             c. Potential is often overlooked
             d. Appeals of 'try harder' don't work because we will have no 
                excuse if we really try hard and still fail

       C. Solutions to the Fear of Failure
          1. Avoid 'all or nothing' thinking
          2. Remind yourself that you're still ok even when you fail:
             'It would be nice if I ___________, but I'm still loved, 
             accepted, and safe.'
      
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PERCEPTION

I.   Definition > How you see the world (yourself and others

II.  Rule of > We see what we expect to see

III. Flaws in 
     A.  Conformity> Going along with the group even when you know they are  
         wrong.
     B.  Self-Fulfilling Prophecy > Acting on a belief as though it were 
         true and THEREBY making it true
     C.  Attribution Error > Assigning blame based on whether we are in the 
         situation (Actor) or watching the situation (observer).  We see 
         ourselves as merely responding to the situation (ex.- we yell at  
         someone) whereas we think other people are "bad people" when they  
         yell at people.

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Put it all together:  How are Self-Concept, Perception and Communication 
related? 
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CONFLICT 

I.  Styles
    1.  Shark: I win/You Lose
        a.  Good when the stakes are high
        b.  Bad when feelings matter
        c.  Likes Foxes because they can win but get a good fight, too
        d.  Doesn't like Turtles because they won't fight

    2.  Owl: I Win/ You Win
        a.  Good when the feelings matter
        b.  Bad when time is short
        c.  Likes Turtles because they are a challenge
        d.  Doesn't like Teddy Bears because they won't let you make them win

    3.  Fox: I Win & Lose/ You Win & Lose
        a.  Good when you can't get everything (negotiation is required)
        b.  Bad when people start feeling manipulated (played)
        c.  Likes Teddy Bears because they are an easy win
        d.  Doesn't like Sharks because they won't cut a deal

    4.  Turtle: I Lose/ You Lose        
        a.  Good when the stakes are low (doesn't really matter)
        b.  Bad when stakes are high (some things are worth fighting for)
        c.  Likes Sharks because they freak out when Turtles won't fight
        d.  Doesn't like Owls because they won't shut up and leave them alone

    5.  Teddy Bear: I (Choose to) Lose/ (So That) You Win
        a.  Good when the other person is all that matters
        b.  Bad when you matter, too 
        c.  Likes Owls because they are grateful for what you have given
        d.  Doesn't like Foxes because they think they tricked you


II.   Conflict Goals: What we fight about
      *Content - what we SAY it's about (never is)
      *Process - how we are going to fight
      *Relational - who we are to each other (usually is)
      *Identity - who you are as a person

III.  When we feel defeated, do we become what we hate?  Hmmm...

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PARTS OF A SPEECH OUTLINE

Attention-Getter: Question, quote, story, joke, wierd fact 
Who Cares:  How does your topic affect the audience?
Preview:  Mention your main points
  
Transition 1 : Linking words and phrases to fill in the gap
  
I.  Main Point     
          A.  Support point
		
          B. Support point
		1. Detail
		2.Detail
          C. Support point

          Website 
  
Transition 2 Linking words and phrases to fill in the gap
  
II.  Main Point   
        A.  Support point
		1.Detail
		2.Detail
        B. Support point
		
        C. Support point
		1.Detail
		2.Detail

          Website 
  
 Transition 3 Linking words and phrases to fill in the gap
  
III.   Main Point 
          A. Support point
		1.Detail
		2.Detail
          B. Support point
		1.Detail
		2.Detail

          C. Support point
		1.Detail
		2.Detail

          Website 
  
Transition 4 Linking words and phrases to fill in the gap
  
Review main points : Mention your Main Points
So what?? How can the audience use this information?
Clencher:  Return to your Attention-Getter



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DISABILITY AND COMMUNICATION

I.  Myths about Disability (Beliefs that are NOT true)
    A.  Threat to Society - Criminals, wild animals, devils
    B.  Object of Pity - How helpless people with disabilities are; we 
should just be glad we aren't like that
    C.  Victim of Parents' Lifestyle - Someone must be to blame
    D.  Burden of Charity - People with disabilites have no worth or value; 
        they must depend on generous others to take care of them
    E.  Pile of Problems - They are their disability; "the blind kid"
    F.  Object of Ridicule - Fun to tease and humiliate
    G.  Eternal Child - Have the "mind of a 5 year-old"
    H.  Holy Innocent - A gift or punishment from God

II. Disability Statistic in the U.S. (1997 Census Bureau)
    A.  20% of Americans have disabilities: 9 million people require 
        assistance with daily living.
    B.  Only 34% of people with serious disabilities graduate from high 
school
    C.  People with disabilites are 2.5 times more likely to live below the 
        poverty level (-$13,000/year)
    D.  86% of people with disabilities are unemployed
    E.  77% of people with disabilities receive NO public assistance 
        (welfare, Medicaid, food stamps or SSI)
    F.  Statistically, 30 students out of the school population at SWJH will 
        become permanently disabled before they turn 21 requiring assistance 
        in daily living for the rest of their lives.

III. How Disability Influences Perception
    A. Rule of Perception:  We see what we expect to see.
       1. We see the disability first.
       2. Myths that we've picked up from the culture color our expectations
       3. We notice aspects about the person that confirm our expectations

    B. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: We act on a belief as though it were 
true, and thereby make it come true. 
       1. People with disabilities notice how others treat them.
       2. We believe others are correct in their perceptions.  Ex. - "I 
must be scary because people are scared of me."
       3. We may act in ways that reinforce others' beliefs about 
our disability.


IV.  Communicating with People with Disabilities
     A.  People First Language:  "Eli" v. "My autistic son"; don't assume 
         that the disability must be used to describe, introduce or explain  
         to others.  If you MUST refer to disability, make sure you put the
         person first and avoid "is."  Examples - "Eli, who HAS autism"
         "Terry, who USES a wheelchair."
     B.  Avoid stereotypes:  There is no place for words like "retard," 
         "psycho," "spaz," "handicapped," "crippled," "freak," or "Rain 
         Man" in a respectful and informed vocabulary.
     C.  Helping v. prying: Ask if the person needs your help, THEN LISTEN 
         TO THEIR ANSWER.  Don't assume they are helpless.
     D.  Being real: Don't pretend you understand when you don't.  If you
         don't understand what someone is saying, apologize and ask them to 
         repeat what they said until you do.  NEVER do the fake listening
         thing: "Oh, yeah?  That's great!"  They can tell.
     E.  Respect personal space: A person's wheelchair is considered part of
         their personal space.  Don't lean on, touch or play with it while 
         you speak to the person.  Think of it the way you think of your 
legs.
     F.  Don't make excuses:  If you meet someone with a prosthetic hand or a
         hook, extend your right hand like you would to anyone else.  If he 
         or she extends the left hand when you do, then follow suit.  
     G.  Be truthful:  When people do or say something inappropriate, call
         them on it rather than letting it drive you away.  If your friend
         with a mental disability likes to wrestle with you, he may think 
         it's okay to do that every time you meet.  If it's not okay, tell 
         him that school isn't where you wrestle; that's for home.
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ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

 I.  Sender/Receiver - Who is communicating; You're always both sender and 
     receiver.

II.  Message - What is communicated
     A. Verbal - Words you say
     B. Nonverbal - What you do; Ex. - Body language 
         1.  70% of communication is nonverbal
         2.  Why do we trust nonverbal more than verbal?  
             a.  People can lie verbally
             b.  Nonverbal signals are harder to control than verbal

III. Medium - What you use to communicate (radio, compter, letter)
     You've got to know the rules of the medium you're using.  Ex.-Older  
     person using the computer for the first time.

 IV. Encode/Decode - Deciding what to say/Making sense of a message

  V. Feedback - Response to communication

 VI. Interference - Stuff that gets in the way of communication
     A. Internal - Stuff inside you (emotions, fears, etc.)
     B. External - Stuff outside you (noise, temperature, etc.)

VII. Setting - Where communication takes place

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RULES OF COMMUNICATION

  I. You can't NOT communicate (You can't avoid communicating)

 II. All communicators play roles
     A.  Social role > ex. student, brother, cheerleader
     B.  Social script > set of responses that accompany a role
     C.  Social penalty > punishment dished out by society (people) for not 
         playing your social role correctly
     D.  Role rigidity > getting stuck in a role; being that role even when 
         the setting is wrong or when it doesn't apply (ex.  
         teachers "teaching" their friends)
     E.  Role conflict > when two roles collide

III. All communication has a past, present and a future
     A.  Things that happened long ago still affect our communication today
     B.  Ex. - You don't like someone because they remind you of someone else

 IV. Receivers determine meaning
     A.  Other people decide what you mean, and if you mean anything
     B.  Ex. - You say something as a compliment, but it hurts their feelings
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BULLYING

I.  Who bullies are
    A.  Boys bully through physical threat or harm (trash-canning)
    B.  Girls bully through emotional threat or harm (gossip)
    C.  Both use verbal threats to dissuade the target from reporting it
    D.  Anyone can be a bully: smart/dumb, popular/unpopular, 
        attractive/unattractive---look in a mirror, that's what a bully 
        looks like


II. Bullying is about power
    A.  Bullies choose targets deliberately
    B.  Target characteristics
        1.  Someone with few social contacts/support
        2.  Someone who will not tell because of shame
    C.  Our culture tends to blame the target for being victimized
    D.  Bullies lose their popularity and are disliked by their peers even 
        though the bully seldom recognizes his/her loss of status

III. Statistics
    A.  By age 24, 60% of bullies have a criminal conviction
    B.  Bullying occurs once every 7 minutes
    C.  Only 25% of students report that teachers intervene
    D.  70% of teachers say they always intervene
    E.  Most targets are unlikely to report bullying
    F.  Most adults believe bullying is "just a part of growing up"
    G.  70% of school shooters had been bullied for 2 years or more
    
IV.  Myths  (Beliefs that are NOT true)
    A.  Teens are safer from violence than adults
       *Teens are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of violence
    B.  Carrying a weapon makes you safer
       *35% of victims were armed when they themselves were shot
    C.  Most people get killed by someone they don't know
       *75% of teen homicides involve people who know each other
    D.  Most targets are chosen because of their race
       *The bully and the target are of the same race 90% of the time

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PERSUASION SPEECH

I. Requirements
   A.  5  or 7 minutes long (-/+ 10 secs)
   B.  5 Internet sources cited during speech
   C.  Typed outline and Bibliography
   D.  6 PowerPoint slides as visual aid (we will create these in the lab)
   E.  3 minutes of rebuttal

II. Topic Suggestions
   A.  Topic must be a social issue with 2 sides
   B.  No "duh," inappropriate, or outlawed topics
       Includes but not limited to:
         Seatbelts   Smoking     Drug use      Drinking and driving 
         Abortion    Religion    Politicians   Capital punishment
         Spanking    
   C.  Take the hard side of the topic (leave the audience the easiest one)
   D.  Arguing AGAINST how you really feel (helps you anticipate our attack)

III.  Outline Suggestions
   A.  Don't stress: this is the same outline I've taught you all along.  
The only difference is that this time, I'm telling you what your main points 
have to be about.  
   B.  Sample outline (Topic: Curfews)

Introduction
  *Attention-getter
  *Who cares?
  *Preview

I.  Problem: Crimes committed by people under 18 at night
    A.  How big is it?  
        1.  $40 million in property damage last year
        2.  167 girls in Washington County alone
        3.  $35 million
        4.  202 arrests on possession
        5.  51 citations for DWI to underage drivers
    B. How bad is it?
        1.  Theft story
        2.  Date rape story
        3.  Graffiti example from Springdale
        4.  Drug use story
        5.  Teen drinking story  
    C.  How long has it been happening?
        1.  1950's curfews were established
        2.  1990's parents stopped enforcing family curfews
    D.  Whose fault is it?
        1.  Parents no longer control their children
        2.  If they won't, the community has to

II. Plan (What you propose to fix the problem)
    A.  What is it?  Stricter curfew for kids under 18
       1.  10 p.m. required to be at home
       2.  If a kid is caught out after 10, they'll be taken to jail
       3.  If a kid is jailed more than twice in a 6 month period, their 
           parents will be prosecuted for child neglect
    B.  How will it solve the problem? (Relate to what you said the problem 
        was)
       1.  Crimes will go down
       2.  Parents will make their kids mind
    C.  Where's the money for your plan coming from?
       1.  No money needed.  
       2.  Volunteers will make citizen's arrests after documenting the crime
    D.  How can WE (15 year olds) do your plan?
       1. Use your cell phone camera to catch kids out after curfew
       2. Call the police and file a citizen's arrest complaint
       3. Call their parents and notify them
       4. Give persuasion speeches and protest at City Hall until the 
Springdale City Council gets tough on teen curfew violators. 

III.  Benefits of your plan
      A.  Safe streets
      B.  Fewer crimes
      C.  Happy homes

Conclusion
*
*
*
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Logical Fallacies = Errors in thinking (Dumb reasons)

Bandwagon = Everyone else is doing it, you should, too.  (Can also be 
reversed: Everyone else is doing it, so you must be a rebel and refuse to.)

Straw Man = Twisting your argument into an absurd simplification you can't 
defend.  Ex. - You want to take Coke machines out of school?  What are you, 
a Commie Pinko bedwetter?  Why don't you just move to Russia then?

Tradition = We do it this way because we've always done it this way.  Ex. - 
We don't need a woman for President because all the Presidents have been men.

Post Hoc = Blaming one event on the event that happened before it.  Ex. - 
You were the last one to use the VCR remote, now it's broken, you must have 
broken it.