Cognitive Area, Self-disclosures, and Effective Area - Assignment Example

Journal Grade (9th, March. Cognitive Area Question Artifact Significance of artifact and what it may communicate Necklace The necklace reminds me of the days my grandmother was alive, since she gave it to me on a day we had gone for a walk in the park, where she was narrating to me the history and genealogy of our family. She explained to me that the necklace had been given to her by her grandfather when she was my age, and so she had to pass it to me at the same age, as I was the only grandchild she had. From that day onwards, I have always worn the necklace on my neck and never remove it, because it is a symbol of our ancestral inheritance. The necklace may communicate the strong connection and family bonding. It is a symbol of family unity, a bond uniting me and my grandmother, and consequently my great grandfather. It is a golden necklace whose value indicates that it was a treasure that has to be passed-on the family line, an indication that the family relationship is valued and treasured. Wallet The leather wallet given to me by my uncle during my 12th birthday remains another valued artifact for me. The wallet has my names inscribed on it, and it is made up of pure leather. My uncle ordered it as a birthday gift for me when I was turning 12 years old, and it has remained the favorite of all my possessions, more so because it has my name on it. The significance of this artifact is that it gives me my identity, my name. Whenever I have the wallet with me, I feel that I have something that identifies with me, with my name. It signifies that presents and gifts can make a real impact on the life of an individual. Photograph The photograph of me, my sister and our friends at the train station when we were young, is another artifact that I value. The photograph was taken when we were young, during our migration journey to our new home. It was taken when my sister was crying at the train station, when we were waiting to board a train, because she did not like the idea of moving from our previous residence to our new home. She was sad, since she was leaving all her friends behind, and we were trying to console her. The significance of this artifact is that it reminds me of our childhood, when were so close with my sister. It brings back the beautiful memories of our life in our previous residence, where we lived closely with our neighbors since the residences were not spacious, and all families integrated as though they were one big family. It is an artifact signifying social integration that is rarely possible these days. Painting My friend gave me a painting when I was graduating from high school, which has always reminded me of our friendship. Many years after we parted ways and he went to live in a different state, I still treasure the moments we spend together at school. The painting bears a cartoon figure that was our favorite when we were at school, and it reminds me how we took any possible moment to watch the cartoon. The significance of this artifact is that it simply indicates the value of friendship. Friendship is one of the most valuable concepts that ever exist, since it allows an individual to share many aspects of his/her life with others, while always getting the company, comfort and consolation of others even in difficult moments. Story Book In my fifth grade, my teacher gave me a story book as a present for emerging the best performer in a writing contest. I used to value the storybook so much so that I could read it almost every day, while it also helped me to earn many friends in my neighborhood, because we could hold a reading session with children of my age in the neighborhood, where I could read them favorite stories from the book. The significance of the storybook is that, it reminds me the value of appreciation, because I felt very impressed by being rewarded for good performance. Question 2: self-disclosures a. I am fond of disclosing everything to my friend. I have been disclosing to her every aspect of my life, because she is also honest with me and has always informed me everything regarding her life too. I find her very honest and truthful, and I admire her principle of living a stress free life by opening-up to the people close to an individual on issues affecting his/her life, which can stress the individual when withheld. b. The benefits associated with self-disclosure is that, it eases the baggage in one’s heart and opens an avenue for overcoming stress and depression, especially when the issues are discussed with a person who fully understands and empathizes with the affected individual. Self-disclosure also helps an individual to live an honest life, as opposed to pretending to be fine, while there are issues eating into one’s life. However, the risk associated with self-disclosure is that an individual is vulnerable and prone to judgment by others, who may not fully understand or empathize with him/her. Another risk is that an individual has all his/her secrets disclosed, which leaves him/her insecure. c. There was a time I told my friend about an incidence that had occurred to me, which left me hurt to an extent that I felt uncomfortable dealing with certain people; and then my friend went on and disclosed to those people why I do not like interacting with them. That changed my friendship with him, and made me start keeping distance from him as well. d. Mediated communication lowers my level of self-disclosure, because self-disclosure is only comfortable when occurring with designated individual, but not when other parties are involved. Effective Area a. Self-concept is the perception that an individual has of his or herself. It is the personal perception that individuals have of themselves, which make them develop their identity. b. The ten words that best describe me are: adventurous, comical, open-minded, understanding, considerate, loving, caring, playful, hardworking, and humble. c. These words create an accurate reflection of my self-concept, because they portray me as an individual who approaches life lightly, and who likes to be happy, while at the same time caring for others and not wanting to hurt them. This is who I actually am. d. The word I would like to see removed from the list is playful, because it is not that I like playing around, but only that I like making fun and staying happy. The word that I would like added to the list is appreciative, since I value the inputs and achievements made by other people, either in my life or theirs. e. The playful element of my self-concept could have ruined my working relationship with a colleague, who seemed to take everything very serious, while I was approaching some aspects lightly, so that I do not end-up stressed by the work challenges. Playfulness would have affected our relationship negatively, because the colleague did not seem to have time for fun. Behavioral area a. I have discovered that I am very attentive in class and lab areas, an indication that my listening skills are good. I happen to follow all the discussion by the instructor keenly, while also noting even the slightest of details from the discussions. b. Ambushing and pseudo-listening are the two ineffective listening skills I have experienced. Ambushing refers to listening carefully and then attacking the speaker, which is what I did to my classmate during a class discussion. Pseudo-listening is the act of faking to be listening, while the attention of the listener is far away (Opitz & Zbaracki, 2004). I have experienced this during a class session in a Monday morning, after travelling the whole of Sunday night, where I pretended to be listening to the instructor, yet my attention was focused on going back to my room and sleep. c. I intend to apply suspended judgment and asking classificatory questions, to become more effective when listening. Suspended judgment will help me avoid being critical before understanding the speaker fully, while asking classificatory questions will ensure that I get exactly what the speaker intended to say, instead of interpreting for my own self (Opitz & Zbaracki, 2004). References Opitz, M. F., & Zbaracki, M. D. (2004). Listen hear!: 25 effective listening comprehension strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Read More