Question 1

Name the six Gibb categories of defensive behaviors

Accepted Answer

Evaluation, Control, Strategy, Neutrality, Superiority, and Certainty

Question 2

Name the six Gibb categories of supportive behaviors

Accepted Answer

Description, Problem orientation, Spontaneity, Empathy, Equality, Provisionalism

Question 3

Name the six Gibb categories of defensive behaviors, and their corresponding supportive behaviors

Accepted Answer

Evaluation and Description, Control and Problem Orientation, Strategy and Spontaneity, Neutrality and Empathy, Superiority and Equality, and Certainty and Provisionalism

Question 4

What type of language is a form of evaluation? Which type of behavior does this type of language fall under? Defensive or Supportive? Which behavior does this language correspond with?

Accepted Answer

You language, defensive, evaluation

Question 5

Unlike descriptive language, evaluative you language focuses on the *speaker's* thoughts and feelings instead of judging the other person. Evaluative messages are often expressed in I language, which tends to provoke more defensiveness than you language. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False. Firstly, *descriptive* language focuses on the speaker's thoughts and feelings rather than evaluative language. I language is also a characteristic of descriptive language rather than evaluative, and similarly, I language certainly provokes less defensiveness than you language. All in all, descriptive language paired with I language = good, evaluative language paired with you language = bad.

Question 6

Give two examples of evaluative behavior vs descriptive behavior

Accepted Answer

1) Evaluative: *You* don't know what you're talking about! vs Descriptive: *I* don't understand how you came up with that idea. 2) Evaluative: Those jokes are disgusting! vs Descriptive: When you tell those off-color jokes, *I* get really embarrassed.

Question 7

The perfect timing and delivery of a descriptive message guarantees success in terms of lowering the receivers defensiveness. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False. (Some people will react defensively to anything you say or do. Nonetheless, it's easy to see that describing how the other person's behavior affects you is likely to produce better results than judgmentally attacking the other person.)

Question 8

__________ __________ occurs when a sender seems to be imposing a solution on the receiver with little regard for the receiver's needs or interests. People who act in this ___________ way create a _________ climate.

Accepted Answer

Controlling communication, controlling, defensive (The object of control can involve almost anything: where to eat dinner, what TV program to watch, whether to remain in a relationship, or how to spend a large sum of money. Whether it is done through words, gestures, tone of voice, or some other channel, the controller generates hostility wherever he or she goes. The unspoken message that such behavior communicates is I know what's best for you, and if you do as I say, we'll get along

Question 9

In contrast to controlling communication, __________ __________ communicators focus on finding what?

Accepted Answer

Problem oriented; A solution that satisifes both their needs and those of the others involved. (The goal here isn't to win at the expense of your partner, but rather to work out some arrangement in which everybody feels like a winner.

Question 10

Give one example of a controlling vs a problem-orientation message

Accepted Answer

Controlling: *You* need to stay off the phone for the next two hours. vs Problem orientation: *I'm* expecting some important calls. Can *we* work out a way to keep the line open?

Question 11

Gibbs uses the word ________ to characterize defense-arousing messages in which speakers hide their ulterior motives. The words _________ and _________ characterize the essence of this word. Defensive of supportive behavior?

Accepted Answer

Strategy, dishonesty and manipulation. Defensive behavior

Question 12

As long as the motives of strategic communication are honorable, the receiver will likely not feel offended and will be understanding. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False. (Even if the motives are honorable, the victim of such deception who discovers the attempt to deceive is likely to feel offended at being played for a naive sucker.)

Question 13

_________ is the behavior that contrasts with strategy. Defensive or supportive behavior?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneity, supportive

Question 14

Spontaneity *doesn't* mean blurting out what you're thinking as soon as an idea comes to you. Put simply, what *does* spontaneity involve?

Accepted Answer

Spontaneity simply means being honest with others rather than manipulating them.

Question 15

Give one example of strategic vs spontaneous communication

Accepted Answer

Strategic: What are you doing Friday after work?, spontaneous: I have a piano I need to move Friday after work. Can you give me a hand?

Question 16

Gibb's emphasis on being direct would be better suited for a high context culture like Japan vs a low context culture like the US. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False. It would be better suited for a low context culture like the US.

Question 17

Gibb uses the term neutrality to describe a fourth behavior that arouses defensiveness. Probably a better descriptive word would be __________.

Accepted Answer

Indifference

Question 18

a __________ attitude is disconfirming because it communicates a lack of concern and implies that the welfare of the other person isn't very important to you. This perceived indifference is likely to promote _________, because people do not like to think of themselves as worthless, and they'll protect a self-concept that regards them as worthwhile.

Accepted Answer

Neutral, defensiveness

Question 19

Give an example of a neutral vs empathic statement

Accepted Answer

Neutral: That's what happens when *you* don't plan properly., empathic: Ouch--Looks like this didn't turn out the way you expected. (The negative effects of neutrality become apparent when you consider the hostility that most people have for the large, impersonal organizations with which they have to deal: They think of me as a number instead of a person.; I felt as if I were being handled by computers and not human beings. These two common statements reflect reactions to being handled in an indifferent way.)

Question 20

According to Gibb, empathy helps rid communication of the quality of indifference.

Accepted Answer

True. (By simply letting a person know of your care and respect, you'll be acting in a supportive way that discourages feelings of indifference or worthlessness)

Question 21

Gibb found that facial and bodily expressions of concern are often more important to the receiver than the words used. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True. (The importance of nonverbal messages in communicating empathy are paramount to how successful your empathic statements will be)

Question 22

The accepting of another's feelings, putting yourself in another's place.

Accepted Answer

Empathy

Question 23

A behavior that is likely to arouse defensiveness and essentially conveys the message of I'm better than you

Accepted Answer

Superiority (A body of research confirms that patronizing messages irritate recipients ranging from young students to senior citizens, at least in Western cultures.)

Question 24

Give an example of the difference between superiority (defensiveness) and equality (supportive) in terms of communication.

Accepted Answer

Superior: No, that's not the right way to do it!, Equal: If you want, I can show you a way that has worked for me.

Question 25

Individuals who project the defense arousing behavior that Gibbs calls __________ are often positive they're right, who know that theirs is the only or proper way to do something, and insist that they have all the facts and need no additional information.

Accepted Answer

Certainty (Communicators who regard their own opinions with certainty while disregarding the ideas of others demonstrate a lack of regard and respect. It's likely that the receiver will take the certainty as a personal affront and react defensively.)

Question 26

In contrast to certainty is _____________, in which people may have strong opinions but are willing to acknowledge that they don't have a corner on the truth and will change their stance if another position seems more reasonable.

Accepted Answer

Provisionalism

Question 27

Provide one example of certainty vs provisionalism

Accepted Answer

Certainty: That will *never* work. You don't know what you're talking about!; Provisional: I think you'll run into problems with that approach, I've never heard anything like it. Where did you hear it?

Question 28

Defensiveness is the process of protecting what?

Accepted Answer

Our presenting self

Question 29

The term communication climate refers to the __________ tone of a relationship.

Accepted Answer

Emotional (Additionally, a climate doesn't involve specific activities as much as the way people feel about each other as they carry out those activities. Think of the two interpersonal comm classes example on page 340 first Paragraph of Comm Climate)

Question 30

Communication climate is the best predictor of marital satisfaction. Satisfied couples communicate a five-to-one ratio of positive to negative messages, whereas the ratio for dissatisfied couples is one-to-one. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True (Positive, confirming messages are just as important in families and friendships, also!)

Question 31

Children who lack confirmation suffer a broad range of emotional and behavioral problems, whereas those who feel confirmed have more open communication with their parents, higher self-esteem, and lower levels of stress. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True. (The communication climate that parents create for their children affects the way they interact. Additionally, the satisfaction that siblings feel with one another drops sharply as aggressive, disconfirming messages increase.)

Question 32

__________ communication describes messages that convey valuing, and ___________ communication describes those that show a lack of regard.

Accepted Answer

Confirming, disconfirming. (In one form or another, confirming messages say you exist, you matter, you're important. By contrast, disconfirming communication signals a lack of regard. They say: I don't care about you, I don't like you, you're not important to me. Additionally, in essence, the climate (positive or negative) of a relationship is shaped by the degree to which the people believe themselves to be valued by one another)

Question 33

Confirming and disconfirming messages can be described as straight forward, black and white, and generally not open to interpretation. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False. (Like beauty, the decision about whether a message is confirming or disconfirming is up to the beholder. For example, comments that the sender might have meant to be helpful [I just wanted to tell you this for your own good ...[ could easily be regarded as a disconfirming attack.)

Question 34

Research shows that three increasingly positive types of messages have the best chance of being confirming. What are they?

Accepted Answer

Recognition, acknowledgement, and endorsement

Question 35

The most fundamental act of confirmation is to recognize the other person. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True (Recognition seems easy and obvious, and yet there are many times when we don't respond to others on this basic level. Failure to return an email or phone message are common examples. Of course, this lack of recognition may simply be an oversight, but if the other person perceives you as avoiding contact, the message has the effect of being disconfirming.)

Question 36

____________ the ideas and feelings of others is a stronger form of confirmation. Listening is probably the strongest form of this confirming message.

Accepted Answer

Acknowledgement (Additionally, more active acknowledgement includes asking questions, paraphrasing, and reflecting.)

Question 37

Employees rate highly managers who solicit their opinions, but only when all of their opinions are accepted.

Accepted Answer

False (Even when the managers don't accept every opinion, they are still rated highly for soliciting them)

Question 38

Whereas acknowledgement means that you are interested in another's ideas, _____________ means that you agree with them or otherwise find them important.

Accepted Answer

Endorsement

Question 39

Endorsement is the strongest type of confirming message. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True. (Because it communicates the highest form of valuing.)

Question 40

What is one form of endorsement?

Accepted Answer

Agreeing

Question 41

In order for endorsement to qualify as a legitimate confirming message, you need to completely believe in whatever message you're endorsing. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False (It isn't necessary to agree completely with another person in order to endorse his or her messag. You can probably find something in the message that you endorse. I can see why you were so angry, you might reply to a friend, even if you don't approve of his outburst.

Question 42

What is one strong form of endorsement?

Accepted Answer

Outright praise

Question 43

A method for speaking your mind in a clear, direct, yet nonthreatening assertive way that expresses your needs, thoughts, and feelings clearly and directly without judging or dictating to others.

Accepted Answer

Assertive message format (Builds on the perception checking skill learned in Chap. 3 and the I language approach learned in Chap 5. Works for a variety of messages: your hopes, problems, complaints, and appreciations.)

Question 44

Whereas perception checking and I statements have three elements, a complete assertive message has five parts. What are they?

Accepted Answer

Behavior, interpretation, feeling, consequence, and intention.

Question 45

A behavioral description should be ________, describing an event without interpreting it. Any statements made using this assertive message format should describe only facts.

Accepted Answer

Objective

Question 46

An __________ statement describes the meaning you've attached to the other person's behavior. The important thing to realize about this behavior is that it is __________

Accepted Answer

Interpretation, subjective

Question 47

Many problems occur when a sender fails to describe the behavior on which an interpretation is based. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True (For instance, imagine the difference between hearing a friend say: You're cheap! versus explaining When you never offer to pay me back for the coffee and snacks I often buy you, I think you're cheap. Behavior *plus* interpretation rather than no behavioral description at all)

Question 48

When a speaker fails to specify behavior after offering an interpretation, this generally confuses the receiver as they have no way of knowing what prompted the speaker's remarks. This failure to describe behavior also reduces any chance that the receiver will change the offensive behavior at all, which, afterall, is unknown to that person. If Gibb were to describe the above text as two corresponding defensive and supportive behaviors, which would he cite? Additionally, labeling an interpretation as such -rather than a matter of fact- is just as important as specifying behavior. What two corresponding behaviors would Gibb compare this fact to?

Accepted Answer

Evaluation and description, certainty and provisionalism,

Question 49

Reporting behavior and sharing your interpretations are important, but _______ statements add a new dimension to the message, a dimension which expresses the sender's emotions.

Accepted Answer

Feeling

Question 50

I feel like leaving or I feel you're wrong are statements which expressing which of the following?: A) Feelings B) InterpretationsC) Statements of FeelingsD) Both B and CE) All of the above

Accepted Answer

D (It's important to recognize that some statements *seem* as if they're expressing feelings but are actually interpretations or statements of intention. Statements like I feel like leaving and/or I feel you're wrong obscure the true expression of feelings)

Question 51

A _________ statement explains what happens as a result of the situation you've described so far.

Accepted Answer

Consequence

Question 52

According to the author of this shit book, there are three types of consequences (in terms of the assertive message format). What are they?

Accepted Answer

1.) What happens to you, the speaker. 2.) What happens to the person you're addressing. 3.) What happens to others

Question 53

Consequence statements are valuable for two reasons. What are they?

Accepted Answer

1.) They help you understand more clearly why you are bothered or pleased by another's behavior. 2.) Telling others about the consequences of their actions can clarify for them the results of their behavior. (As with interpretations, we often think that others should be aware of consequences without being told, but the fact is that they often aren't. By explicitly stating consequences, you can be sure that you or your message leaves nothing to the listener's imagination)

Question 54

When you are stating consequences, it's important to simply describe what happens without ________.

Accepted Answer

Moralizing (For instance, it's one thing to say, When you didn't call to say you'd be late, I stayed up worrying, and another to rant on, How can I ever trust you?! You're going to drive me crazy!)

Question 55

An __________ statement is a description of where the speaker stands on an issue, what he or she wants, or how he or she plans to act in the future

Accepted Answer

Intention

Question 56

Intention statements can communicate three kinds of messages. What are they?

Accepted Answer

Where you stand on an issue, requests of others, and descriptions of how you plan to act in the future.

Question 57

The elements of the assertive message format can only be delivered in order from one through five. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False (The elements may be delivered in mixed order. As the examples on the preceding pages show, (before pg 361) it's sometimes best to begin by stating your feelings. At other times you can start by sharing your intentions or interpretations or by describing consequences.

Question 58

When attempting to approach an issue using the assertive message format, it's recommended to word the message you're trying to get across exactly like the receiver might word it. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False. (Word the message to suit your personal style. The words you choose should very much sound authentic in order to reinforce the genuineness of your statement.)

Question 59

In regards to the assertive message format, it's often wise to combine two elements into a single phrase. True or false?

Accepted Answer

True

Question 60

In regards to the assertive message format, when trying to deliver a message, it's recommended and important to try and get across all of your feelings as quickly as possible as well as all at once, or close to it, so as to not confuse the receiver. True or false?

Accepted Answer

False (Take your time delivering the message. Don't worry about getting it all in one go. It will often be necessary to repeat or restate one part before the other person understands what you're saying. Patience and persistence are vital.)

Question 61

Communication researchers have identified seven types of disconfirming messages. What are they?

Accepted Answer

Impervious Responses, Interrupting, Irrelevant Responses, Tangential Responses, Impersonal Responses, Ambiguous Responses, Incongruous Responses

Question 62

messages that convey devaluing; they say You're not important, I don't care about you, You don't matter

Accepted Answer

Disconfirming Messages

Question 63

What are the three different types of disagreeing messages?

Accepted Answer

Aggressiveness, Complaining, Argumentativeness

Question 64

disconfirming message; doesn't acknowledge the other's message, essentially, it's ignoring the other person

Accepted Answer

Impervious response

Looking Out Looking In Chapter 10

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you need?