A common problem in interpersonal communication is mindreading, which is assuming we understand what another person thinks, feels, or perceives. When we mindread, we act as if we know what's on another's mind, and this can get us into trouble. Marriage counselors and communication scholars say mindreading contributes to conflict between people. The danger of mindreading is that we may
misinterpret others and have no way to check the accuracy of our perceptions. Sometimes we do understand one another, but sometimes we don't. Consider a few examples. One person says to her partner, "I know you didn't plan anything for our anniversary because it doesn't matter to you." Whether or not the partner made plans, it's impossible to guess motives or to know why the partner forgot, if indeed he did. A supervisor notices that an employee is late for work several days in a row and assumes the employee isn't committed to the job. One friend tells another, "You were late coming over because you're still mad about what happened yesterday." The speaker is guessing reasons for the friend's tardiness and could well be wrong. Mindreading also occurs when we say things such as "I know why you're upset" (Has the person said she or he is upset?) or "You don't care about me anymore" (maybe the other person is too preoccupied or worried to be as attentive as usual.) We also mindread when we tell ourselves we know how somebody else will feel or react or what he or she will do. The truth is we don't really know; we're only guessing. When we mindread, we impose our perspectives on others instead of allowing them to say what they think. This can cause misunderstandings and resentment because most of us prefer to speak for ourselves. One danger of mindreading is
a. there is no way to verify our perceptions of what other people are thinking.
b. people have an easy time of guessing what their friends are thinking.
c. actions often speak louder than words.
d. most people believe they are excellent mindreaders.
a
You might also like to view...
¡A leer!Read the text about Gustavo Dudamel. Then, answer the questions that follow.
? ¿Escuchas música clásica? ¿O crees que es solo para los mayores? Si (If) crees que la música clásica es exclusivamente para mayores, probablemente debas ver al director de orquesta (conductor) Gustavo Dudamel en acción para cambiar de opinión. Este director de orquesta venezolano se caracteriza por la energía, la pasión y la exuberancia con la que dirige (conducts). Al público le fascina que este talentoso joven tenga tanta energía al hacer su trabajo. Dudamel tiene una habilidad innata para transmitir la música clásica a todo tipo de público, desde los mayores hasta los más pequeños, y de esta forma está cambiando la percepción de la música clásica. No hay duda de que el joven Dudamel está ayudando a darle frescura (freshness) a la música clásica. Empezó a tomar lecciones de música a los cuatro años y a los dieciocho años ya era el director de la Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, de su país Venezuela. Hace nueve años, la Orquesta Filarmónica de Los Ángeles lo nombró director de su orquesta cuando tenía solo veintiséis años. Sin embargo, Dudamel no está cambiando la música clásica exclusivamente en los escenarios (stage), este joven venezolano tiene programas de música en los barrios pobres de Los Ángeles que ayudan a los jóvenes a que no estén en las calles, y de esta manera, están cambiando sus vidas, la vida de sus familias y las comunidades en general. ? ¿Cuál es la reacción del público al ver a Dudamel en el escenario (stage)?? What will be an ideal response?
Complete the following
C.O.D. quiere decir “ _______________ o devolver”.
Which of the following statements is true about adding layers of development as you write?
a. It identifies opinions from sources. b. It anticipates and answers questions from the reader. c. It repeats statements from the essay. d. It provides disagreements with the thesis.
It is easy to _____ your smartphone if you keep it in your pocket
a) loose b) lose