Journal Reflection Chapter 6 - The Impact Gender has on Interpersonal Communication

The concept of sex and gender have become quite controversial over the last few years. Terms associated with sex and gender used to be interchangeable but now as the world becomes more progressive that isn't the case. Sex refers strictly to biology and gender is a learned social construct (McCornack & Morrison, 2019, p.152). Gender has heavily influenced language and interpersonal communication. Certain words are associated with men/women. In today's world, it is important to use gender-neutral words in order to improve interpersonal communication competence.

The concept of gender definitely influenced me as a child. I was born female at birth and I identify as a woman. Growing up, I liked playing with dolls, playing dress up, and I liked the color pink. All things that were associated with being a young girl. However, I had a friend, chase, who was a boy and he lived across the street from me. Whenever I would go to his house I loved playing outside, playing video games, and playing with his toy guns. I remember I always loved playing with his toys more than my own. It is so silly looking back that I couldn't have had his toys just because I was a girl.

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Journal Reflection Chapter 10 - Managing Conflict and Power

According to the textbook, "conflict is the process that occurs when people perceive that they have incompatible goals or that someone is interfering in their ability to achieve their objectives" (McCornack&Morrison, 2019, p.260). Most conflicts can be characterized by four features: begin with perception, involve clashes in goals or behaviors, is a process, and it is dynamic (McCornack&Morrison, 2019, p.260). Conflict is inevitable however, understanding these four features can help to recognize conflict thus allowing you to handle conflict more appropriately. It is also important to understand you deal with conflict. Understanding your conflict style allows you to analyze how you deal with conflict. For example, after taking the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument assessment my highest scores were in compromising (sharing) and avoiding withdrawal. This means, I either compromise with others in a conflict or I avoid conflict altogether. After learning this I fee...

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Journal Reflection Chapter 2 - The Importance of Self-Understanding

The concept of self-understanding is a valuable component of interpersonal communication. Understanding the interactions one has with others starts with understanding oneself. "The self is an evolving composite of self-awareness, self-concept, and self-esteem" (McCornack & Morrison, 2019, p.31). The way that someone perceives themselves will have a direct impact on the way they communicate with others and the way in which others will perceive them. If someone has a negative self-concept accompanied by low self-esteem then others will pick up on that through the way they communicate or the lack thereof which can be damaging to the individual and those around them. "Low self-esteem individuals experience negative emotions and depressions more frequently, [than those with high self-esteem], resulting in destructive feedback loops" (McCornack & Morrison, 2019, p.34) . For example, I have experienced low self-esteem as I'm sure others can relate to. During...

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