Saturday, September 13, 2008

Pragmatic Perspective Week 3 Post #3

When it comes to the pragmatic perspective I would have to disagree mostly that communication is a patterned reaction. In fact I think that the pragmatic way of thinking is kind of dangerous. If communication follows to much of a pattern then people start to predict the outcome of a conversation before it even happens. One example of this is in high school I had this theory that it was easier to ask for forgiveness then for permission. I had so many conversations with my mom if I could go and do things like drive highway 17 to the beach. Because I heard "no" so many times at the end of my questions I stopped asking. My mom's conversation with me followed a distinct pattern and I would get so sick of the end result, so I would avoid the conversation all together. This is why I think the pragmatic perspective can be dangerous. 
Communication is somewhat like a game because it does require for two people to be involved and to take turns making moves. People will also repeat actions or words that result in a good pay off. For example, when my fiance whispers in my ear that I look beautiful I smile at him and give him a kiss. This payoff is something he enjoys and he knows that if he says the same thing then he will get the same payoff.
Communication is also different from a game because the human mind can't always be predictable. In games we have strategies, in life you could have as many strategies as you want but that doesn't mean you are going to win the conversation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

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