Constructs of Reality

Constructs of Reality

1. PAGES 67 - 71

2. Intrapersonal communication

   • Intrapersonal communication is that voice inside your head that decodes information and assigns meaning. Typically, this meaning is based on past experiences, family and community influences, and your own knowledge and education.
   • Our interpretation of communication is influenced by several factors: past experience present state of mind (construction of meaning) knowledge environment.

3. Attribution Theory

   • We attribute causes to what we experience, and the meaning we create affects our motivation.

4. Emotional Intelligence

   • We can experience emotional intelligence through: self-awareness - taking time to recognise your thought patterns; recognising that others may have different thought patterns; choosing thoughts to improve the well-being and reactions of all involved; our interpretation affects the way we communicate (professionally); we need to construct an appropriate balance of rational with emotional interpretation (social competence).
   • "The following are the top 10 skills and attributes, ranked by the proportion of employers who considered each to be an important selection criterion: (1) interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral); (2) drive and commitment/industry knowledge; (3) critical reasoning and analytical skills/technical skills; (4) calibre of academic results; (5) cultural alignment/values fit; (6) work experience; (7) teamwork skills; (8) emotional intelligence (including self-awareness, confidence, motivation); (9) leadership skills; and (10) activities (including intra- and extracurricular).
   • "employers view emotional intelligence and competence as positively related to job performance at all levels."
   • "emotional intelligence as ‘the capacity to reason with emotion in four areas: to perceive emotion, to integrate it in thought, to understand and to manage it’. Those who operate in the first area and perceive emotion are able to identify emotions in faces, music and stories. The second area, emotional facilitation of thought, allows people to associate emotions with other mental sensations such as taste and colour. The third area, emotional understanding, comes from knowing those emotions that are similar or opposites and understanding the messages they convey. Those who operate in the fourth area, emotional management, know the implications of social acts on feelings and are willing to regulate emotion in self and others.
   • " ‘Emotional intel- ligence influences organisational effectiveness in a number of areas: employee recruitment and retention, development of talent, teamwork, employee commitment, morale and health, innovation, productiv- ity, efficiency, sales, revenue, quality of service, customer loyalty, client or student outcomes.’
   • Emotional competence
     • It "is the basis of emotional intelligence. Emotional competence is classified into two broad categories, personal competence and social competence.
       • "Personal competence is reflected in our self-awareness and self-management.
         • Self awareness - "Emotional awareness: recognising our emotions and their effects; Accurate self-assessment: knowing our strengths and limits; Self-confidence: sureness about one’s self-worth and capabilities.
           • "Accurate self-assessment of our strengths and limits enhances self-confidence and the motivation to remain engaged, productive and able to work well with others. Awareness of our strengths enables us to concentrate our efforts in our areas of strength and work on improving our areas of weakness. Sureness about our capabilities, preferred work style and values enables us to choose careers that align with these qualities. The fit between self and work enhances satisfaction, commitment, persistence and achievement.
         • Self regulation - "Self-control: managing disruptive emotions and impulses; Trustworthiness: maintaining standards of honesty and integrity; Conscientiousness: taking responsibility for personal performance; Adaptability: being flexible in handling change; Innovativeness: being comfortable with and open to novel ideas and new information.
         • Self motivation - "Achievement drive: striving to improve or meet a standard of excellence; Commitment: aligning with the goals of the group or organisation; Initiative: being ready to act on opportunities; Optimism: being persistent in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks.
     • Social Competence "is reflected in our social awareness and relationship management.
       • Social awareness - Empathy: sensing others’ feelings and perspective and taking an active interest in their concerns; Service orientation: anticipating, recognising and meeting customers’ needs; Developing others: sensing what others need in order to develop, and bolstering their abilities; Leveraging diversity: cultivating opportunities through diverse people; Political awareness: reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships.
       • Social Skills - Influence: wielding effective tactics for persuasion; Communication: sending clear and convincing messages; Leadership: inspiring and guiding individuals and groups; Change catalyst: initiating or managing change; Conflict management: negotiating and resolving disagreements; Building bonds: nurturing instrumental relationships; Collaboration and cooperation: working with others towards shared goals; Team capabilities: creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals.

5. Social Competence

6. Persuasion

   • The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) describes two routes through which communication can be persuasive: central, which uses facts and data; and peripheral, which works on emotion
     • Central route - Appeals to logic and involves a great deal of thought. It is associated with high involvement (time, energy and other resources that the receiver is willing to put into the process). It is more effective when the facts are believable. This route leads to more permanent attitude change.
     • Peripheral route - The viewer is influenced by superficial cues. These clues include an attractive speaker, bright colours, savvy music, and emotional story. It involves low involvement and temporary attitude change.
   • Advertisings main function is to inform, persuade and influence,
     • Colour - Colour impression Can account for 60-70% of consumer reaction. White - represents cleanliness and purity, simplicity, newness, high technology.
       • Red - Increases blood pressure, heart rate, appetite, grabs attention & stimulates quick decision making. Pink - Is associated with sweetness, used in sales of candy & pastry. Orange - Makes people feel energetic & is often found in fast food restaurants, prolonged exposure to orange can make people very aggressive. Yellow - Is the first colour processed by the human eye, it is used to draw attention. Green - Is a relaxing colour, is often used in hospitals, represents things that are environmentally friendly and natural. Blue - The most popular favourite colour amongst adults, it is used to sell jewellery, it is the colour of royalty, it can add a nauseating effect to food. Purple - 1 of the most difficult colours to produce, associated with royal rich and luxurious. Brown - Favoured by men over women, used to represent that which is natural and of the earth, represents solidity and strength. Black - Represents power, sophistication & formality, used to make other colors pop.
     • Affect - The experience of a feeling or emotion which occurs rapidly and involuntarily in response to a stimulus. Positive affect (Joy, hope, pleasure) Negative affect (anger, fear, shame). Advertisers rely on the affect heuristic to predict how you might respond to an advertisement. Affect heuristic - decisions that are determined by affective considerations.