summary blog

Anna Mullen
COMM 380
4/22/12


Summary Blog

For this project I started by applying different ideas from the text into my life hoping to find something that I could relate to in terms of gender identity.  I thought about the different elements that make up my identity, and I realized how substantial both my family and friends are in every aspect of my identity because in a way, I am who I am because I have been shaped that way by who I interact with.  I was raised by just my mother and father, but many people have lived with more than one family before reaching adulthood, and parental gender socialization will be accomplished by multiple adults (Galvin, K. 2006). With this in mind, I decided to look at gender identity at the interpersonal communication level to see how different people influence each other’s identities through their interactions with each other.
To research my topic of interpersonal communication, I planned on interviewing three individuals (two girls, one guy) about how they view their own personalities, how their personality might change when around family versus friends, co-workers, classmates etc., and what aspects of their personality they believe have been shaped by friends and family.  While I was starting my first interview I realized it would be a lot more effective for this thoughtful topic if I wrote down my questions and allowed each of them several minutes to think and write their responses.  As part of my observation I also took notes about my interviewees and kept a journal of my own thoughts and interactions with people on the days of 4/18/2012 – 4/19/2012.
The questions that I asked my interviewees consisted of:
How would you describe yourself in terms of gender? This can be just describing words or a larger explanation about how you view your identity.

Consider who raised you for the most part while you were growing up, (could be parents, grandparents, siblings, etc.) Have any of your personality traits come from these people? If so, what are they?

Do you believe your friends have shaped your personality in any way? If so, how?

How does your personality and the way you define yourself change or differ when around family, versus friends, co-workers or classmates? Why do you think this happens?



During this project and talking with the individuals I interviewed, my ideas about interpersonal communication were mostly reinforced.  Although my sample size for my interviews were limited to only three people, they all had similar responses on how both their parents and friends have contributed to specific parts of their identity.  An interesting response from all three of them was hoe they’re more laid back in front of their peers because there isn’t any fear that they will be judged, unlike when they’re around their parents or family (personal interview 4/16/2012).
This project got me considering my own identity and allowed me to analyze more deeply about who helped shaped my personality through interactions; I found this experience to be very interesting.  I also got the chance to dig deeper into the lives of some of my friends, and see more clearly why they are the way they are, which was eye opening.
The topic of interpersonal communication and how it relates all aspects of a person’s personality to their interactions with people throughout life reminds me to not be quick to judge an individual by how they speak, act, or do certain things.  It’s important to know that what has shaped a person’s values, morals and beliefs has much to do with the people that person has spent the most time interacting with.  Not one single person holds the same experiences as someone else, so when interacting with a new person it is important and to your advantage to remain open-minded and unbiased.



References:

Galvin, K. (2006). Gender and family interaction: Dress rehearsal for an improvisation? In B. J. Dow & J. T. Wood (Eds.), Sage handbook of gender and communication (pp. 44). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Personal Interviews with Gabbie E., Briana W., Brendan R. (4/16/2012)