Identity and Patterns of Communication

1. Identity and Patterns of Communication Based on Dimensions of Ethical Decision-Making; K. Mills-Stewart & A. Witter-Merithew, 2006 Ethics of Interpreting Seattle Central Community College Brenda Aron 2010

2. Human Nature & Personality • Physiological: Basic survival requirements of warmth, shelter and food • Security: Protection from danger of threat • Social: Relations with others, expressed as friendship, comradeship or love • Self-Respect: Sense of personal worth, respect and autonomy • Self-Actualization: Sense of achieving your full potential

3. Patterns of Communication: • Another way we can gain self-awareness is by examining our patterns of communication. • Communication also plays a vital role in the success of our relations with others. • Effective and productive interactions are facilitated by good interpersonal communication.

4. The Johari WindowJ. Luft & H. Ingham 1969, 1984 • The Johari Window is a very popular and easily understood model of communication that is essentially an information-processing model. • It can be used to illustrate the relationship between self and others in terms of awareness. • There are four patterns of communication in the Johari Window.

5. The Arena I. The Arena refers to the information that you and others both share. • For example, a person’s hair or eye color and occupation all fall under the open arena. • The more you know about yourself and the more you reveal to others, the larger your open arena. Communication is open with minimal defensiveness.

6. The Blind Spot II. The Blind Spot refers to the window showing things other people know about you, but which you do not know about yourself. It is sometimes called the “food in the tooth” window. • Also, included here may be such things as physical mannerisms and certain personality traits. • For example, this could relate to a person who gets angry quite easily but who sees herself as a calm individual.

7. The Façade or Hidden Area III. The Façade or Hidden Area contains things you are aware of and have not disclosed to others. It is information that you want to keep hidden; this is the “skeleton in the closet” window. • It has to do with your personal, private, self, and includes your opinions, attitudes and biases. • How much you keep hidden depends on how close you are to another person; you usually reveal more about yourself to people you trust. • Included in the façade window may be such things as previous bad experiences. (Cont’d)

8. The Façade or Hidden Area • A variation of the façade is the false façade which are things you think are hidden from others, but which really are not. • For example, you may dislike another person, yet try to be nice; however, she sees through your false façade and detects the underlying hostility.

9. The Area of the Unknown • IV. The Area of the Unknown relates to things neither you nor others are aware of- things, which are usually hidden in the unconscious. • Yet, we know the unconscious exists because we occasionally act out certain behaviors and have trouble tracking back the reasons for them.

10. Patterns of Communication and The Johari Window • Change • Self-disclosure: • A way of gaining information about another person • A way to learn about how another person thinks and feels. • Norn of reciprocity • Mutual disclosure • A good feeling • On the next slide is a model of the Johari Window.

11. The Johari Window Known to Self Not Known to Self Known to Others Not Known to Others

12. Risks to Self-Disclosure • A person may not respond favorably to the information. Self-disclosure does not automatically lead to favorable impressions. • Someone disclose information about you that you did not intend to have disclosed. • Gain power in the relationship because of the information they have about you. • One sided self-disclosure • Use information in inappropriate ways • Too early in the relationship may damage it • Try an online quiz: You can check your answers after. http://www.abacon.com/commstudies/interpersonal/indisclosurequiz.html

13. Discussion Questions • What do you think non-deaf people who work with interpreters want interpreters to disclose as part of the process of forming trust? • What about Deaf consumers? • What type of information would be inappropriate for an interpreter to disclose as part of the relationship building with non-deaf customers and Deaf consumers? • What is the application of this learning to your work as a future interpreter? • How can you use this new learning to think about personal and professional boundaries?