Self Reflective Paper

Self Reflective Paper

Introduction

Self reflection is the best way of learning. This is true for people who welcome criticism as well as for people who get offended by it. The most successful of people are the one who believe in oneself and indulge in self reflection all the time (Bea, 2010). The paper presents self reflection on four selected topics and relates my communication skills with them.

Principles of self disclosure

Every human being is looked at in a certain way by the people who live with him. In addition, every human also has an opinion about himself. This opinion can be positive as well as negative. But this information is very personal in nature. Sharing this information with significant others such as friends, family and colleagues is what is called self disclosure.

There is no unison when it comes to the definition of self disclosure. Some argue that any form of verbal and non verbal communication may be regarded as self disclosure because when we are talking with someone we are disclosing something about ourself through our attire, our body language and the selection of our words (Schoenberg, 2011). For others, self disclosure takes place only in conversation where one refers to as statements such as I think, I feel, I believe etc.

The common feelings that I express when it comes to self disclosure are my feelings related to my success, failure and even thoughts and feelings on social and other issues. I believe that I may share my social and emotional opinions with different people, but I am very particular about who I share my dreams with. My dreams are to be discussed only with people who are very dear to my heart.

Every person has a different definition of success. For some it is achieving a certain professional level and for others it is the possession of material objects. For me, success can be defined as having this one person in my life whom I can share my true self with - the self that does not have the mask on. In other words it can be seen that people who have an avenue for self disclosure are lucky. self disclosure can take place only between people whom you trust a lot (Nicholson, 2010).

Mixed messages

Mixed messages are messages in communication which can be interpreted in different ways. It also means that the receiver of the message interprets the message in a different way than how it was intended to be communicated. These are messages that often lead to confusion. In this context, it is imperative to state that communication is not just the words we use. It is not what we ay but more about how we say it. The non verbal cues, the body language they all help in the understanding of the message in the same way as it was being said. In the absence of these, the message may be misinterpreted.

A major source of conflicts in my personal relationships is mixed ...