Interpersonal Communication Flashcards
Sociological Factors in Interpersonal communication
Is the study of human interaction; how people get along with each other, how and why they often fail to get along with each other. Deals with rather broad generalities, often in a highly complex jargon, and for those reasons, many people have difficulty understanding how it applies to real-life situations
Ethnocentrism
The members of almost any particular group, assuming they have shared a goodly number of common characteristics over a fairly long period of time, have an ingrained believe that their own ways of doing and believing are superior to the ways of others.
Prejudice
Set of hostile attitudes directed toward a distinguishable group and based on generalizations derived from incomplete or faulty information
Four causes of prejudice
- Conflict between groups
- Displacement of aggression
- Conformity to existing norms
- Just plain fear and ignorance
Conflict between groups
Experiencing the process in regard to black infiltration into formerly all-White communities
Displacement of Aggression
Prejudice can also grow out of conscious attempts to displace aggression and hostility aroused by social, economic, or political difficulties. Often this type of prejudice is encouraged by those in power because it provides some identifiable target for the frustrations of the people in general
Conformity to Existing Norms
Cause number three conformity to existing norms, frequently comes as a surprise to many people. This simply means that many of us become prejudiced by the process of adopting the prejudices of those around us
Simple Fear and ignorance
People tend to fear what they do not understand
Stereotyped thinking
Is the attributing of identical characteristics to all members of one ethnic group of some other particular category of people
