Lifehacker on relationship research

Saw <a href="http://lifehacker.com/what-research-tells-us-about-the-most-successful-relati-1552386916?utm_campaign=socialflow_lifehacker_facebook&utm_source=lifehacker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow"> this article</a> on my fb feed today and thought of our conversation about romantic relationships today.

Image is a culturally narrow...

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 focuses on organizational communication and overall, I found the chapter interesting, but this topic has many different facets to it and can be somewhat confusing at times. The main points of organizational communication ethics are: 1) organizational communication, 2) dwelling place, 3) organization and institutions and 4) community of memory within organizations (139).  Organizational communication ethics can be difficult because the many possibilities of 'the good'. "Organizations are hosts to a variety of persons with different understandings of the good; organizational communication ethics recognizes the need for a minimal common understanding of a given good in each organizational setting, requiring one to take responsibility for the dwelling that the communicative practices seek to construct" (138). In other words, the textbook provides a way to identify a common good for an organization through its dwelling place and then, ethical communication can be achieved.

While I was reading this chapter, I began to think of how this applied to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is an institution, but the different chapters of the church are the organizations to the institute. Like the book said, the Catholic church and all the different churches that make it up are linked together and hold each other accountable (144). To be honest, I am not positive if a church would be considered an organization, but while reading the chapter, it seemed to fit well with what they were describing. In the situation of the Catholic Church, the church organizations rely on the Church to provide them with the 'good'. The Church provides the good of the institutions to the chapters of the church and expects them to protect and promote them accordingly.

When I was thinking about churches, I thought about the 'saying' and 'said' relationship. The book says that this relationship rests in the current historical moment and as things change, the way organizations protect and promote their good may have to change. Recently, the Pope has decided to be open and inviting to LGBT members of the church and a lot of this change has resulted from the changing historical moment. The church still is protecting and promoting their 'good' around homosexuality by continuing to express its sinful nature, but has decided to become more inviting to gay members regardless. Like the hazing example in the book, the Church has used the saying and said relationship to help change to the historical moment while still protecting their good.

CH. 7 Interpersonal Communication

One quote that stood out to me was, "Interpersonal communication finds its identity in the ethical mandate to protect and promote the good of the relationship. When the interaction no longer nourishes the relationship, the interpersonal communication moves into another form of communicative interaction" (pg.119). I have a difficult time believing that statement because I think that when I am communicating with others, I want to make sure I leave with a  better or stronger relationship with said person. I understand that in the world of business you communicate with clients to make sales but what you are also doing while selling them is building a relationship. Interpersonal communication ethics was broken down into three aspects to help us get a better understanding of the topic. Those three aspects were interpersonal communication, distance, and interpersonal responsibility. Distance is the aspect I want to focus on most because I feel that I can relate to that easiest.

I think distance is a hard aspect of interpersonal communication to deal with, yet it might be the most important. I was recently in a relationship and she moved for a job, we tried the long distance relationship but something wasn't right. Ultimately, the distance between our relationship helped point out that we didn't see eye-to-eye on what we thought was acceptable for our relationship. The distance helped us see what we couldn't when we were in the same location, similar to what the book said, "Distance permits us to see the details more clearly" (pg.124).  Distance is an importance aspect of interpersonal communication because it requires more responsibility to make the relationship work. That responsibility is what keeps the strength of relationships. 

Why scientists say we shouldn't trust the FDA

I thought this article was interesting considering our discussion today about the FDA.

Chapter 8: Organizational Communication Ethics

During our college years, we are barraged with dozens of invitations to join every manner of extracurricular activity or student group, especially during our freshman year. These groups, or organizations, range from the extremely informal to the highly formal in nature, some having strict guidelines for membership and member behavior. Take for example the two extracurricular activities that I have been exposed to during my college experience thus far: coed quidditch and the Greek system. Both organizations are fairly large in size and have student members in charge of operation, but they vary greatly in the characteristics of their constructed "dwellings", as well as their organizational communication, goals, and purposes.

When it comes to formality, coed quidditch was the least formal of the two organizations by far. I would characterize the coed quidditch organization as a laid-back, casual, roommate sort of dwelling, quite similar to many college living situations of shared dorms, houses, and apartments. There are rules and regulations for the organization to follow, but I imagine them as being written on a sheet of lined paper and hung on the fridge with an owl magnet. The group's organizational communication as a whole is consisted of far more informal practices (yelling through a megaphone to make announcements), structures (loosely defined titles of team captains and representatives), events (casually conducted games and tournaments), and goals (growing the organization in general). With such informal practices and communication, the organization invites a much more relaxed and casual type of communication within the organization and its members. Most members feel entirely free to voice whatever their opinion is on any matter, but this also results in a somewhat chaotic leadership and functioning.

The Greek system here at the U is much more formal than the coed quidditch organization. Whereas the quidditch league is something of a shared apartment, I would characterize the Greek system's dwelling place as a highly organized, hierarchical, multi-level business building. There are strict rules and regulations for the Greek members to follow, ones that are passed on to them by the national and regional boards of their particular houses as well as the international Greek board. I'd imagine them as an engraved gold plaque hung above a massive fireplace. The group's organization communication as a whole is far more formal than those of the quidditch league with specific practices (reporting to those higher in the group's hierarchy), structures (guidelines and scripts for most day-to-day interactions with other Greek houses), events (planned far ahead of time and often a tradition), and goals (to raise money or awareness for their nonprofits). With such formal practices and communication, the organization invites a much more proper and respectful type of communication within its organization and members. Most members feel free to voice their opinions, but understand that there are certain ways of doing things that must be followed, otherwise the house could suffer punishment or consequences.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 has a very different idea from other chapters. It is centered around communication between two people, "Interpersonal communication ethics." I found the idea to come simple to me because of how we use it so much every day. Some major factors in Interpersonal communication are, Distance and responsibility. Now both of these have a bit of a different swing than we would normally assume. Communication which is interpersonal is between four people or less.(p.120) Like I said this is more personal and appealing to a relationship which is considerable and has a greater connection then most others. 

The idea of distance was abundant in this chapter. We need to understand as the book put it that, "distance permits us to see the details more clearly." (p.124) This idea of space or distance is brought up many times almost like it would be a major factor in interpersonal communication. (Which it is.) There is a section that they speak about how we try to turn the other into, "ourselves" if we don't give distance to grow into the relationship which really stuck with me. Having a close relationship with someone can  be difficult if we make it one sided or all about ourselves. If we have distance then we have room to move towards or a bit further back to understand our relationship better. " A great quote I pulled from the chapter was, "It is the distance between the here and the there that memories live." (p.125) Think about that, from the time of meeting to the present there are little things that make that relationship flourish or disband.

Responsibility was the other piece of this chapter I found very moving. The idea of responsibility is not seen as much in our society anymore. "Too many captains not enough sailors" if you will. I mean, that this is seen in communication all the time where people just want their view to be seen as the best when maybe a collaboration of views would work out better. Having a responsibility to the person in this communication circle or crossing is important because you both as fresh communication begins need your own persona. I believe as Americans we have a hard time with not being the "Mustafa" or top of the communication ladder when we want friendships. Responsibility to show respect and to give the other person/s chances to show their self is very important. Our identities actually grow from learning something from the other person/s.

All in all I feel this chapter was much more appealing than most. Good insight to the ideas and gave me a new respect for understanding interpersonal which I was always a bit confused with.

Chapter 7

In the book it states that Interpersonal Communication has "attentive concern for the relationship between persons". I think it's interesting that the book also says that when the conversation no longer nourishes the relationship that the type of communication moves on to another form of communication. I had never thought about this  before it was mentioned in the book and I think this is a unique way to look at communication between two people in any sort of relation. Every relationship is different and requires a different kind of interaction and order within the relationship.

So far I think this is one of the best explained chapters in the book. Interpersonal responsibility was explained the best I think. I really liked the comparison to coming to college to define distance. Distance changes relationships and tests our communication skills and also filters out communication that is no longer important or needed to us. When I came to college I was skyping friends all over the country and gradually I lost contact with them because I just did not have time or energy to put all of my effort into this type of interaction. Now I will call or text them maybe once every other month. Whereas with my family, I contact them multiple times a week via different mediums since I moved away.