The Main Sources of Stereotypes, The Concept of Self-monitoring and Self-concept in Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal Communication

Stereotyping is the oversimplified and overlooked pejorative attitude that people tend to show towards people outside their own experiences or from other backgrounds. I have witnessed many cases of stereotyping throughout my life and they mainly occur when people have distorted or incomplete information, which they accept without asking questions. People would generally categorize other people as belonging to certain groups just because of certain characteristics. I believe that generalization is the main problem that leads to many cases of stereotyping the occurrence of a great deal of inaccuracy within the society. Physical ability, religion, sexual orientation, age, race, and sex are the main sources of stereotypes I have witnessed so far in my life.

Self-monitoring involves making observations and regulations of one's behavior within a social context. The level of self-monitoring differs with every individual whereby others have high self-monitoring levels and others have low levels. Self-monitoring mainly comes into play when a person relates to others and seek to establish the impact of his or her actions towards others. Self-monitoring processes happen all around us; people apologize for their wrong actions and behaviors and strive to ensure that they do not repeat the action again. The process of avoiding an action that annoyed, or hurt a friend requires constant self-monitoring. Self-monitoring helps to avoid the possible occurrence of conflicts among people in the society. It also ensures and gives an opportunity for healthy relationships to thrive in the society.

The high-self monitors handle themselves in a more meticulous manner than the rest. These people also like projecting certain kinds of images to make others like them, which requires that they adjust the behavior that that acceptable to the people around them. I have also witnessed that some people regulate their behaviors according to their own beliefs. These people are low self-monitors and would only work best with people who share their beliefs. I have also noticed that such people care less about the social context and project an image of what they believe in instead of pretending.

Self-Concept

The term self-concept focuses on the thoughts, evaluations, and perceptions a person may have about himself or herself. When someone is fully aware of himself, then is said that he has a concept of self. A belief a person has about herself or himself, as well as the attributes all, contributes towards attaining self-concept. In the society, there are problems that mainly arise because a person lacks self-concept. People engage in things that they cannot accomplish or enjoy doing because of their weaknesses and strengths. When an individual understands his strengths and weaknesses, he would be in focus on their strengths and likes, which enable them to prosper in everything they do in life rather than in engaging in trial and error ventures.

The successful people in the society have mastered the art of self-concept and maximize on their strong points to better their lives every day while most people fail every day because they lack the important factor of self-concept. In understanding who a person really is, there are a number of questions involved. The responses depend on the physical description whereby other people hate the fact that they are short or fat; social roles; personal traits, and existential statements. People tend to attach value to themselves depending on how they see themselves. The value attached to oneself leads to the self-esteem, which refers to the degree of value one attaches to himself. People with poor self-concept in life face numerous failures that lead to the low self-esteem.

Self-Reflection

It is easy to have retrogressive attitudes or behaviors against people that belong to different groups. I cannot say that I have never had some stereotypic behaviors or attitudes against people. However, I have made it my duty to check on these behaviors and only happen when I am not aware. These attitudes and behaviors would most happen without my knowledge because of my internal beliefs and upbringing but against my wish. I always try to see everyone for what they are and not where they come from or their characteristics. I would always give everyone I meet a chance to prove themselves before discrediting them. I believe that no matter the background, people would always remain unique and no single community could have people with the same behaviors and attributes just because of their backgrounds. My exposure and interactions with people from various backgrounds also play a crucial role in shaping my opinions and attitudes towards other people. I have learned that even those from backgrounds that people considered inferior could surprise you with their levels of creativity and deep insights.

I understand that my relationship with others requires my contributions as much as that of those people I seek a relationship with. It is upon me to check on any type of behavior that might hinder the possibility of having healthy relationships with others. Self-monitoring is crucial both at home, in school and all other areas because it enables people to co-exist peacefully in the society. Personally, I have been in situations that I only succeeded because I ensured a high level of self-monitoring to ensure that I regulate my behavior in a manner that makes me acceptable to the people I work with or co-exist within the same place. As much as I have my own beliefs, I never let them get in the way of my peaceful and healthy co-existence with other people.

When I wrong a person, I make it my responsibility to ensure that I never repeat the same behavior even if it means going against my own beliefs. I have also come to realize that self-monitoring is important even in the personal life and relationships whereby my partners would expect me to behave in a certain manner and avoid behaviors and attitudes that tend to put them off. It is also true that I have to work harder towards improving my self-monitoring to ensure that even cases where I failed to recognize the need to regulate my attitudes and behaviors would not happen the same in future should I face such situations again.

I believe I have a strong self-concept. I know the boundaries between my strengths and weaknesses. Everything I do in this life depends on my capabilities. Even my choice of a course depended on my passion and likes to ensure that I do not end up and tied to a career that I do not have a passion for. In some cases, I venture out of my comfort zone and try things that seem beyond my capability, but I would always ensure that I remain realistic and make a U-turn when it is the best option at that time. Knowing the things I like and those that I do not have much liking for, enables me to avoid having friendships with conflicting interests leading to short-lived friendships. Self-concept has also played a crucial role in my life because I know my worth and would not allow anyone to treat me in a way suggesting that I am worth nothing. I also have self-esteem because I understand myself better and appreciate my strong points while also acknowledging my weak points.