ipl-logo

Constructivist Approach To Communication Essay

1250 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A short article on constructivism

Human thought is not neutral, but everything we think and communicate is constructed from a particular point of view, whether we realise it or not” (Steinberg and Angelopulo, 2015, p.34). This statement relates to the constructivist approach to understanding communication, especially is humans. The constructivist approach can be defined as our knowledge, thoughts and view of the world, these views aren’t predetermined rather developed and constructed as we move through the world. However, it may be biased. Meaning is a key element in the constructivist approach. The meaning of the message is constructed through the process of communication and isn’t a fixed sequence. The meaning is determined during the conversation and both parties (people …show more content…

Meaning is shaped by power relations in the conversation. Power is the struggle of meanings. It determined by who’s meaning is correct and dominant. This is the negotiated during the conversation and goes back and forth. It is used to see who’s meaning prevails. I said to my friend once that I didn’t want to go with her to a party. She took it in the wrong way. I didn’t mean it in the way she thought I did. I meant that I didn’t want to go because I wasn’t feeling well. I had to convince her that what I meant was correct, at the end she believed me. My meaning prevailed. This links back to the statement that human thought is not neutral, because the meaning was only determined during the conversation and not preconceived.
Communication is power:
This has a lot to do with discretion. Power comes in many forms such as politics, economic and culture. It has to do with what we decide to say and what we decide not to say. Our moral values have a lot to do with what we decide to say and what we decide not to say. For example, this girl in my class last year, she said that this one girl isn’t intelligent and needs a personality. I got really upset and wanted to tell her that she was describing herself but I decided not to say that because I didn’t want to stoop down to her leave nor did I want to hurt her feelings like she did with the other girl.

Show More
Related
1823 Words | 8 Pages

A Rhetorical Analysis “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree” A bachelor’s degree just to drive a taxi cab? It might be the future of many college graduates according to Marty Nemko. In a June, 2008 edition of the Chronical of Higher Education in an article titled “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree” Nemko argues that a four year college degree may not be worth the cost, and not the right choice for most high school graduates. For past generations, it has been expected that to be successful one must attend a four year university.

Read More
422 Words | 2 Pages

In chapter one, "Privilege, Oppression, and Difference, Allan Johnson begins his argument that "difference is not the problem"( Johnson, pg 5 ). The author goes on to explain that difference by itself is not the problem, rather difference in conjunction with our ideas that cause fear. That being said, discrimination was a bigger problem in the past and it still is today. We starts with talking about Rodney King and racism he had received from police officers in Los Angeles. Johnson continues on with the idea that people are judged not for who they are or the things they have accomplished, but how they are perceived by others.

Read More
1373 Words | 6 Pages

Having power is a big responsibility and people in society need to find the right balance of control or risk losing everything they have, even the ones they

Read More
776 Words | 4 Pages

But first what is Power? When researching Power words such as authority, control, direct, command and influence all appear. These words all support the following statement “Power is the ability to influence and control the behaviour of others.” The problem with power is that it often leads to those in power abusing it. As Lord Acton famously quoted “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

Power is when the fate of events and/or individuals are in the control of one person or group. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible reflects the many different sides of power, the power over self, the power over others, and the power over all. Miller’s play takes place in one of America’s most frightening times, the Salem Witch Trials, where a Puritan community went on a mad witch hunt through their town. Many innocent people were accused, and once accused, they could either deny and hang or confess to witchcraft and accuse others. One of Miller’s most powerful individuals is his antagonist Abigail.

Read More
490 Words | 2 Pages

Power in today’s can be used in many different forms such as to show strength, rank, encouraging others, being an influence, being a leader, and much more. The way you use power in a situation can have a positive or negative impact on an individual, community, country, nation, or even the world. In the short story “Miss Temptation” by Kurt Vonnegut, he describe how power can impact an individual way of thinking of others due to past experiences. Power can anything one allows to have a dominance over their lives. It is the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.

Read More
350 Words | 2 Pages

Power is the ability to actor do something in a particular way. People who have too much power and abuse it, and turn their power into a negative power. Fear and tyranny are abused by people with power creating a negative effect on society. Leaders with a huge rule of power will abuse their role as a leader by creating a fearful environment.

Read More
559 Words | 3 Pages

These messages enclose information, and the senders of these messages intend particular meanings to reach the receiver of the message, who will then attribute a meaning to the message. The intended meaning may be varying from the meaning attribute to the message by the receiver. This is not only due to the words was used but also by the non-verbal messages that are also sent (Fielding, 1995). Heath (1997) stated that communication occurs in various ways and at diverse levels of awareness. Barber (1993, cited in Heath, 1997) states that communication is that sharing understandings and involves openness to the enquiry of another person, having attention, perception, receptivity and empathy towards that person.

Read More
991 Words | 4 Pages

The desire for power is one of the strongest human drives. In Lord of The Flies by William Golding there is a constant struggle for power between the main characters, Ralph, Jack, and Piggy. Ralph has power because he was voted chief and uses his power in an ugly way. Jack is struggling to get out of Ralph's power and gain his own power. The boys’ struggle for power is an ugly struggle and the author uses this to demonstrate the ugly struggle for power that is human nature.

Read More
843 Words | 4 Pages

In the article ‘The Complexity of Identity - Who am I?’ , the author Beverly Tatum argues that the definition of identity for a person is laid down by the societal norms and not by one’s own conscious understanding of her or his existence. And these societal norms are the ones that are acceptable to the dominant group of the society. Any aspect of one’s identity that sets her or him apart from others is targeted by the dominants. Tatum has used the terms ‘dominants’ and ‘subordinates’.

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

(ii) Power and Conflict: The capacity the one person has the influence over the other persons such that other persons act in accordance with his/her wishes can be defined as ‘Power’. Conflicts could be both positive and negative. Good conflicts could be encouraged but bad conflicts ought to be prevented.

Read More
1011 Words | 5 Pages

Power and influence in society have a huge impact on the way things happen and affects perception. A prime example is the power that presidents and prime ministers have. Given this power they can effectively influence and persuade others. Power and influence is often associated with gender, conflict and roles and relationships. The importance of the power and influence can be thoroughly examined using texts that demonstrate ideas presented as truths.

Read More
1024 Words | 5 Pages

Over the years, mass communication has been defined in several ways. While some view it as a process, others perceive it as a skill. But apart from these two classifications, I particularly view mass communication as a tool since it is an essential device that can be used in one’s everyday life. It is an instrument all humans can make use of in delivering their intended messages to their family, friends and even to strangers. Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese suggested the same perception as they proposed their theory called the Uncertainty Reduction Theory.

Read More
1372 Words | 6 Pages

Power as conceptualized by critical theorists. Power is one of the words that holds great effect. It is defined by Webster (2015) as “the ability to control people or things; a person or organization that has a lot of control and influence over other people or organizations”. In general, a person or organization that holds power has authority over others. Thus, power is conceptualized in the organizational communication by critical theorists.

Read More
1111 Words | 5 Pages

Power can be translated to the “ability to influence others” (Agunis, Pierce, & Simonsen, 1998, p. 456). Barack Obama has influenced millions in his lifetime by taking the power he desires to have, from being an attorney, moving up to Illinois State Senator, to becoming a US President for two terms. While he was a Senator in 2004 he was invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention. In his Keynote Address, he expressed different bases of power as he spoke. The bases of power, as explained by Agunis, Pierce, and Simonsen, are reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert.

Read More

More about Constructivist Approach To Communication Essay

Related Topics

Open Document