CHAPTER 2: THE SELF, PERCEPTION, and COMMUNICATION

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. What is a set of relatively stable perceptions that each of us holds about ourselves?
2. Self-concept
3. Self-esteem
4. Perceived self
5. Presenting self

Answer: A
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

1. Brandt is very muscular, but thin. This makes him feel like a weakling when he’s around his bodybuilder friends at the gym. He feels this way because of his ______________.
2. significant other
3. self-esteem
4. perceived self
5. presenting self
   

Answer: B
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

1. Kerry tends to take chances and initiate relationships with others and also tends to show affection to others. This is likely due to Kerry’s _____________.
2. high self-esteem
3. supportive self-concept
4. perceived self
5. presenting self
   

Answer: A
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

1. Mary tends to think of herself as shy, thoughtful, serious and compassionate. These characteristics are known as _____________.

a. belief systems

b. social traits

c. social roles

d. defining interests

Answer: B
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

1. James regards being a father to his new-born twins as the most important thing about him. He is therefore emphasizing one of his ______________.

a. social roles

b. social traits

c. talents

d. belief systems

Answer: A

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

1. Ashley considers herself as someone fearful of public speaking. She is asked to speak to the school board about a new project she’s working on. When she speaks to the school board, she is fearful and stumbles on her words. This is likely because __________________.
2. self-esteem influences the self-concept
3. significant others influence the self-concept
4. culture influences the self-concept
5. the self-concept influences communication with others
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication

1. Jared describes himself as a thin, muscular, and talented surfer. His friend Joseph also surfs and affirms that Jared is a good surfer. Jared feels good about his body build because being thin and muscular is considered a norm in surfing culture. Which part(s) of this description conveys Jared’s self-concept?
2. Joseph is his friend.
3. He values Joseph’s opinion.
4. He describes himself as a thin, muscular, and talented surfer.
5. Being thin and muscular is a norm in surfing culture.

Answer: C
Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication

1. Janet knows her job very well. She considers herself an expert in her field. As a result, she is frequently able to help her co-workers. Even when someone has trouble understanding an idea, Janet doesn’t think poorly of them. Chances are Janet ___________.
   1. has high self-esteem.
   2. has low self-esteem.
   3. generally doesn’t believe it when people say they love her.
   4. has an unstable perception of herself.
      

Answer: A

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication

1. People with ___________ are less willing to communicate, more likely to be critical of others and expect rejection from them, and more likely to be critical of their own performances and perform poorly when being watched.
2. self-esteem
3. high-self-esteem
4. low-self-esteem
5. a self-concept
   

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication

1. The term ____________ describes how we develop an image of ourselves from the way we think others view us.
2. self-concept
3. self-esteem
4. perceived self
5. reflected appraisal
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. A ____________________occurs when a person’s expectation of an outcome, and their subsequent behavior, make the outcome more likely to occur than would otherwise have been the case.
2. self-concept
3. reflected appraisal
4. perceived self
5. self-fulfilling prophecy
   

Answer: D

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. Ashley gives a speech to the school board and stumbles on her words. The next time she speaks to the school board, she expects to stumble on her words again, which makes her nervous. Her nervousness causes her to stumble on her words again. This is likely a result of __________________.
2. self-serving bias
3. self-fulfilling prophecy
4. her perceived self
5. her presenting self
   

Answer: B

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. Lorie has a teacher whose opinion she highly values. This shows the importance of a __________________.
2. reflected appraisal
3. self-fulfilling prophecy
4. significant other
5. self-serving bias
   

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. A person whose opinion is important enough to affect one’s self-concept is called __________________.
2. reflected appraisal
3. self-fulfilling prophecy
4. significant other
5. self-serving bias

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. Mass media, significant others, expectations and ________________ are some of the factors influencing people’s sense of self. Choose the best answer.

a. culture

b. prophesies

c. biases

d. concepts

Answer: A

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. Rosa is from Honduras. Her upbringing there has greatly influenced the person she is today. Her father was also a great influence. He was stoic and brave and as a result she is too. Her father believed in her and encouraged her to be brave in the face of adversity. Now she believes she can be brave in almost any situation, and that confidence usually results in her success. Which part of this description conveys reflected appraisal?
2. She is from Honduras.
3. Her father was a great influence.
4. Her father was stoic and brave and now she is.
5. Her father believed in her and that helped her to believe in herself.
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. Esperanza was predicted and expected to do poorly in a math class. At the end of the semester, Esperanza got an F in math. This is an example of ___________.
2. social traits
3. a self-fulfilling prophecy
4. self-concept
5. self-esteem

Answer: B
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. The process of attaching meaning to behavior is called _________________.
2. negative impressions
3. self-serving bias
4. androgyny
5. attribution

Answer: D

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. The tendency for us to judge ourselves in the most generous terms possible is called _________________.
2. confidence
3. self-serving bias
4. self-fulfilling prophecy
5. attribution
   

Answer: B
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. Judy interviewed a recent college graduate named Steve who was perfectly qualified for the job, but she didn’t hire him because he had a bit of a stutter. In this case, Judy was ________________.
2. more influenced by the negative traits.
3. equally influenced by the positive and negative traits.
4. more influenced by the positive traits.
5. perception checking.

Answer: A
Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. LaTonya is on a date with Dan. Dan has been polite and kind the whole night. He looks at her when she speaks and really seems to care about what she has to say. At the end of the night, he sneezes into his hand rather than in a napkin. LaTonya is really bothered and decides she won’t go out with him again. This is likely because ________________.
2. we often judge ourselves more charitably than others.
3. we pay more attention to negative impressions than positive ones.
4. we tend to assume others are similar to us.
5. we tend to think we’re better than everyone.

Answer: B

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. People who assume that an individual who is taller than average is also likely to be more intelligent than average are demonstrating _______________.

a. self-esteem

b. self-concept

c. perception

d. the halo effect

Answer: D

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. Harpreet knew who she wanted to vote for in the election, so she only talked with people who were going to vote for the same candidate. This is an example of the fact that _________________.
2. We often judge ourselves more charitably than others.
3. We pay more attention to negative impressions than positive ones.
4. People gravitate to the familiar.
5. People tend to overgeneralize.
   

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. If you find explanations outside yourself when you suffer a setback, but tend to blame others’ problems on their personal flaws, you are exhibiting _______________.

a. overgeneralization

b. self-serving bias

c. the halo effect

d. miscommunication

Answer: B
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.3: Recognize tendencies that lead to distorted perceptions of yourself and others and how those distortions affect communication.

1. A person’s biological category such as male, female, and intersex are referred to as ________________.
2. their sex
3. their gender
4. androgyny
5. attribution

Answer: A

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. A socially constructed set of expectations about what it means to be “masculine” or “feminine” is referred to as ________________.
2. sex
3. gender
4. androgyny
5. attribution
   

Answer: B

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. Which term below goes beyond the dichotomy of masculine and feminine by describing a combination of masculine and feminine traits?
2. Sex
3. Gender
4. Androgynous
5. Attribution
   

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. Masculine and feminine behaviors are part of _________________.
2. our biology
3. a stereotype
4. normalcy
5. a continuum
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. The outdated view that genders are “opposite” to each other involved a _______________ system of understanding genders.

a. binary

b. androgynous

c. undifferentiated

d. matrix

Answer: A

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. Samuel has long hair that some people think is girly. He dresses nicely and is concerned about his looks. While he likes sewing and baking, he is also a die-hard football fan who spends a lot of time restoring classic muscle cars. If you are to base your perception of Samuel using American cultural stereotypes, what gender is he?
2. He is male.
3. He is female.
4. He is androgynous, having both masculine and feminine traits.
5. He is intersex.
   

Answer: C

Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. A new theory of gender proposing that gender cannot be simply categorized, that social expectations can be confining, and that showing gender qualities may be related to context and mood, is called ________________.
2. a continuum
3. the gender matrix
4. the gender effect
5. self-concept

Answer: B
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

1. The ability to re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from the other’s point of view is referred to as ________________.

a. self-perception

b. sympathy

c. empathy

d. understanding

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. When you feel compassion for another person’s predicament, this is ________________.
2. a self-perception
3. sympathy
4. empathy
5. understanding

Answer: B
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. It’s important not to jump to conclusions, and to verify what others are saying. We can do this by ________________.
2. self-perception
3. sympathy
4. empathy
5. perception-checking
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. How do you differentiate sympathy from empathy?
2. With sympathy, you actually experience the emotions of others, with empathy you don’t.
3. Empathy means you feel compassion for a person’s predicament.
4. Sympathy involves perspective taking and empathy does not.
5. Sympathy means you feel compassion for another person’s predicament, whereas empathy means you have a personal sense of what that predicament is like.

Answer: D
Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Janine has not been smiling much the past few days and her husband, Andy, feels that she may be upset. Andy feels like he should talk to her about it. If Andy used a perception check to ask Janine about how she’s been, what is he likely to ask?
2. “What’s wrong with you?”
3. “Why are you so sad?”
4. “It seems like something is wrong with you. Am I right?”
5. “I noticed you haven’t been smiling much lately. I was wondering if something has been bothering you or whether you might be upset with me. Are we okay?”
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Jorge is in line at the department store when he hears another customer complaining loudly. He has been unhappy with the customer service at this particular store as well and he really feels the guy’s pain. How would you classify his reaction?
2. As a self-perception.
3. As sympathy.
4. As empathy.
5. As understanding.
   

Answer: C

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. A tool for helping to understand others accurately instead of assuming that your first interpretation is correct is called ___________________.
2. self-perception
3. sympathy
4. empathy
5. perception-checking
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Which of the statements below is true of perception checking?
2. Nonverbal behavior has no effect on perception checking.
3. Perception checking is a one-step process.
4. Perception checking minimizes defensiveness.
5. Perception checking has no effect on the accuracy of perceptions.

Answer: C
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Which of the statements below is true of empathy?
2. It is impossible to achieve total empathy.
3. It is no different than sympathy.
4. It requires a person to unfavorably judge another person.
5. It is not possible to empathize with someone you disagree with.

Answer: A
Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Carlos’s friend Albert is in a predicament. He was trying to make some quick cash and invested his money in a risky stock. Albert is emotionally wrought because he needed that money to pay rent for his family’s home. Carlos feels sorry for Albert, but he thinks Albert made poor choices. Which selection below best characterizes how Carlos feels for Albert’s situation?
2. Carlos feels neither sympathy nor empathy for Carlos.
3. Carlos is experiencing complete understanding of Albert’s situation.
4. Carlos sympathizes with Albert.
5. Carlos feels empathy for Albert because he has been in a similar situation.
   

Answer: C
Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Perspective taking, genuine concern, and _______________ are the three dimensions we can use to define empathy.

a. emotional experience

b. sympathy

c. perception checking

d. understanding

Answer: A

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. Self-regulation and internal motivation are two of the five proposed dimensions of _______________.

a. sympathy

b. empathy

c. emotional intelligence

d. IQ

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

1. The communication strategies people use to influence how others view them is called ________________.
2. self-serving bias
3. identity management
4. empathy
5. attribution

Answer: B
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. The verbal and nonverbal ways we act to show a positive image of ourselves to others is called ________________.
2. facework
3. private self
4. attribution
5. the presenting self
   

Answer: A
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. The person you believe yourself to be in moments of honest self-examination is referred to as ________________.
2. facework
3. identity management
4. attribution
5. the perceived self
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. Sometimes we disclose how we honestly feel about our bodies and sometimes we don’t. This is because of the private nature of ________________.
2. facework
3. identity management
4. the presenting self
5. the perceived self
   

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. In the same day you may be a joking friend and a consoling parent. This is because _________________.
2. identity management can be conscious or unconscious
3. identity management is collaborative
4. we have multiple identities
5. people differ in their degree of identity management

Answer: C
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. Identity-related communication is a kind of drama in which we perform like actors and connect with other such actors trying to create their own characters—to improvise scenes in which our characters mesh. This is because _________________.
2. identity management can be conscious or unconscious
3. identity management is collaborative
4. we have multiple identities
5. people differ in their degree of identity management

Answer: B

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. High self-monitors are usually more aware of their identity management behaviors, while low self-monitors are not. This is because __________________.
2. identity management can be conscious or unconscious
3. identity management is collaborative
4. we have multiple identities
5. people differ in their degree of competence in identity management

Answer: D
Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. Read the following dialogue and decide which option below it best represents.
   “I guess you weren’t able to make it. Did something come up? I never heard from you.”
   “Yeah, I meant to be there, but my brother came by unexpectedly and sabotaged my day.”
2. Identity management can be conscious or unconscious.
3. Identity management is collaborative.
4. We have multiple identities.
5. People differ in their degree of identity management.

Answer: B

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. Anton is the dependable employee at his job. He is always focused and serious at work. When he’s with his friends, he’s considered a carefree jokester who is chronically late. What below might best explain the difference?
2. Identity management can be conscious or unconscious.
3. Identity management is collaborative.
4. We have multiple identities.
5. People differ in their degree of identity management.

Answer: C

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. When Shawna speaks to Trish, she is thoughtful about the things she says and carefully considers Trish’s reactions. Trish on the other hand blurts out her thoughts without much thought to how they are received. What best explains the differences between Shawna and Trish?
2. Identity management can be conscious or unconscious.
3. Identity management is collaborative.
4. We have multiple identities.
5. People differ in their degree of competency in identity management.

Answer: D

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. To all of her friends, Andrea is the fun carefree friend. Despite her friends’ characterization, she knows she is often quite sad and bombarded with stress. Andrea’s understanding of herself can be classified as ________________.
2. her perceived self
3. her presenting self
4. facework
5. identity management

Answer: A

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. If you normally wear casual clothes, but dress more formally to attend a traffic court in the hope of being treated more sympathetically, you are showing that ______________.

a. roles influence the identities people display

b. identity management is not necessarily dishonest

c. identity management can be goal-oriented

d. you have both a perceived self and a presenting self

Answer: C

Blooms: Remembering

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. Ahmed has only been in the United States for a year and has not completely adjusted to new social norms. He notices his friend has had an acne breakout and says, “Your face looks terrible.” His friend is very unhappy with the comment. What could Ahmed have done to better manage his identity to follow social rules?
2. He could have told his friend on social media.
3. He could have told his friend that he was having a breakout rather than that he looked terrible.
4. He could have made an excuse for his comment.
5. He could have chosen not to say anything to avoid making his friend uncomfortable.

Answer: D
Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

1. Hannah wants people to perceive her as fashionable and trendy. How might Hannah engage in identity management online?
2. She could strategically post photos on Instagram that depict upscale brands like Chanel.
3. She could post photos of herself wearing outfits from last season.
4. She could keep her Instagram page private.
5. She could follow a variety of accounts that fashion models also follow.

Answer: A

Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Identity Management and Social Media

Objective: 2.7: Analyze the challenge of using social media to present a favorable image while still being authentic.

1. Sonja posted about her recent health struggles on Facebook and was grateful for all of the support from people who lived far away from her. She started to feel better about herself. This demonstrates that _________________.

a. social media can boost self-esteem.

b. being genuine leads to benefits.

c. self-esteem can enhance emotional resilience.

d. people tend to pay attention to emotional stories on social media.

Answer: A

Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Identity Management and Social Media

Objective: 2.7: Analyze the challenge of using social media to present a favorable image while still being authentic.

1. Mitch wants people to perceive him as attractive and socially engaged. So, he tends to only post carefully edited photos that make him seem perfect. When his close friends point out that this is not an accurate picture, what are they asking him to consider?

a. Social media can boost self-esteem

b. Being genuine matters most.

c. Self-esteem can enhance emotional resilience.

d. Social media doesn’t impact one’s self-esteem.

Answer: B

Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Identity Management and Social Media

Objective: 2.7: Analyze the challenge of using social media to present a favorable image while still being authentic.

1. Which of the following statements about identity management and social media is untrue?

a. Self-esteem is boosted by posting unrealistically positive images of oneself.

b. Self-esteem can enhance resilience to things like cyberbullying.

c. It is important to be try to be genuine on social media.

d. Using social media can boost self-esteem.

Answer: A

Blooms: Understanding

A-head: Identity Management and Social Media

Objective: 2.7: Analyze the challenge of using social media to present a favorable image while still being authentic.

1. Susan found herself facing criticism online from others yet it didn’t seem to have a negative impact on her when she described the criticism to her friends. This is likely because Susan has __________________.

a. a tendency to over-disclose.

b. emotional cues.

c. low self-esteem.

d. high self-esteem.

Answer: D

Blooms: Analyzing

A-head: Identity Management and Social Media

Objective: 2.7: Analyze the challenge of using social media to present a favorable image while still being authentic.

SHORT ANSWER

62. What is the self-concept?

Answer: A set of relatively stable perceptions that each of us holds about ourselves.

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

63. What are four things covered in the chapter that affect and reflect people’s sense of self?

Answer: 1. Significant others. 2. Mass media. 3. Culture. 4. Expectations.

A-head: Communication and the Self-Concept

Objective: 2.2: Analyze ways that communication both influences and reflects the self-concept.

1. What are the four psychological sex types?

Answer: 1. Masculine 2. Feminine 3. Androgynous 4. Undifferentiated

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

65. What is perception checking a tool for?

Answer: Perception checking is a tool for helping to understand others accurately instead of assuming that your first interpretation is correct. OR Perception checking is a communication tool to enhance empathy.

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

66. Define facework.

Answer: The verbal and nonverbal ways we act to maintain our own presenting image and the images of others.

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

ESSAY QUESTIONS

67. Discuss the similarities and differences between the self-concept and self-esteem.

Main point: The self-concept and self-esteem both have a role in communication, but they are not the same things.

A-head: The Self-Concept Defined

Objective: 2.1: Explain the self-concept and its relation to self-esteem in human communication.

Answers will vary, must include:
a) Both the self-concept and self-esteem affect the way we communicate.
b) The self-concept is the set of perceptions we hold about ourselves, while self-esteem is how those perceptions make us feel.

c) Self-esteem is an element of the self-concept.

Answers will vary, may include:
a) Self-esteem has a powerful effect on how we communicate.
b) Self-esteem is the evaluation of self-worth and the self-concept is a set of characteristics we use to describe ourselves.
c) Examples of the self-concept and self-esteem.

68. Define the term attribution and describe the perceptual errors your book mentions that can lead to inaccurate attributions—and to troublesome communication.

Main point: Common inaccurate perceptual errors can lead to troublesome communication.

A-head: Mistaken Attributions and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

Answers will vary, must include:
a) Attribution is the process of attaching meaning to behavior.
b) Uncharitable attitudes toward others can affect communication. Your harsh opinions of others can lead to judgmental messages, and self-serving defenses of your own actions can result in a defensive response when others question your behavior.

c) We pay more attention to negative impressions than positive ones. Expecting perfection can lead us to reject people on superficial qualities that might not matter very much once we get to know them.

d) We tend to assume others are similar to us. Assuming others have similar thoughts and attitudes that we do can lead to inaccurate perceptions of how they might react to our communication.

Answers will vary, may include:
a) An example of attribution is when we see someone on the street with rumpled clothes and assume he or she is a bum (other examples apply).
b) We usually judge ourselves more charitably than others. In an attempt to convince ourselves and others that the positive face we show to the world is true, we tend to judge ourselves in the most generous terms possible.

c) People with low self-esteem imagine that others view them unfavorably, whereas people who like themselves imagine that others do too.

69. Describe the dimensions of empathy.

Main point: Cultivation of empathy is a means of building bridges, challenging faulty perceptions, and overcoming many of the common problems people encounter in communication.

A-head: Empathy, Emotional IQ, and Communication

Objective: 2.5: Explain dimensions of empathic communication and emotional intelligence, and practice perception checking.

Answers will vary, must include:
a) On one level, empathy involves perspective-taking—the ability to take on the viewpoint of another person.

b) Empathy also has an emotional dimension that allows us to experience the feelings that others have. We know their fear, joy, sadness, and so on.

c) A third dimension of empathy is a genuine concern for the welfare of the other person that goes beyond just thinking and feeling.

d) Empathy, unlike sympathy, goes beyond feeling compassion to include a shared, personal sense of what another’s predicament is like.

Answers will vary, may include:
a) This understanding requires you to set aside your own opinions and suspend judgment of the other.
b) When we combine the perspective-taking and emotional dimensions, we see that empathizing allows us to experience the other’s perception—in effect, to become that person temporarily.

c) Empathizing allows you to understand another person’s motives without requiring you to agree with them.

70. Name three things to keep in mind in order to effectively perceive people in regards to their sex and gender. Be sure to briefly describe each one.

Main point: There are cultural assumptions about sex and gender that can lead to inaccurate perceptions of people.

A-head: Myths About Gendered Communication

Objective: 2.4: Counteract myths about gendered communication with more accurate information.

Answers will vary, must include:
a) No one is exclusively male or female. People from both sexes have varying levels of hormones, and of the characteristics commonly attributed to one sex or the other.
b) The terms sex and gender are not the same. Sex is biological, while gender is socially constructed. People from both genders have varying levels of the attributes often attributed to the other gender.
c) Masculine and feminine behaviors are part of a continuum. Whether people are male or female, they might be seen as generally masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated, based on society’s definitions.

Answers will vary, may include:
a) People who are intersex may have hormonal profiles and physical characteristics of both sexes.
b) Sex is a biological category (male, female, and intersex). Something that’s masculine or feminine in one culture is not necessarily that way in another.
c) One alternative to the masculine-feminine dichotomy is the idea of four psychological sex types, including masculine, feminine, androgynous (combining masculine and feminine traits), and undifferentiated (neither masculine nor feminine).

71. How is identity management collaborative?

Main point: Virtually all conversations provide an arena in which communicators construct their identities in response to the behavior of others.

A-head: Identity Management

Objective: 2.6: Describe how personal behavior and the actions of others influence identity management.

Answers will vary, must include:
a) We manage our own identities while others do the same.
b) Your attempt to manage your identity a certain way may be accepted or rejected by the other(s) involved and vice versa.
c) While identity management is collaborative, this does not mean parties involved are in agreement.

Answers will vary, may include:
a) More than one party is involved in identity management concurrently.
b) We help others manage their identities and they help us: all may be figuratively characterized as “actors.”