Principles of power

Power is often being taken advantage of. Be it at home,in the working place...it happens everywhere. But the question is..How do we define power? Power can be defined as a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them, including the behavior of other people. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can also be seen as evil or unjust. However, the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings. PRINCPLE OF POWER Some people are more powerful than others; some are born to power, others learn it. Power can be increased or decreased; power is never static. Power follow the princple of less interest, the greater the power. Power has a cultural dimension; power is distributed differently in different cultures. Power is often used unfairly, as in sexual harassment and power plays. TYPE OF POWER Power can be divided into 5 different points. Referent power: The influence that comes from members' liking and respect for one another.
Legitimate Power: The influence that comes from the authority of your rate and position in the chain of command.
Expert Power: Ability to influence someone regarding a course of action because of a specific knowledge, experience or expertise.
Information or persuasion Power: Having the ability to change people's attitudes largely through the skillful use of language.
Reward Power: Compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable.
Coercive Power: Authority or power that is dependent on fear, suppression of free will, or use of punishment or threat, for its existence.

Besides the types of power, we also learn the way to communicate through power. ->Speaking power includes, for example, avoiding hesitations, disqualifiers, and self-criticalstatements. ->Nonverbal power includes avoiding adaptors, using consistent packaging, and avoiding excessive movements. ->Listening power includes responding visibly, maintaining eye contact and an open posture, and avoiding interrupting. ->Compliance-gaining and compliance-resisting tactics enable you to influence others to do asyou want or enable you to resist compliance attempts of others. Compliance-gaining tactics include expressing liking, making promises, and threatening. Compliance-resisting tactics include using identity management and negotiation. ->Empowering others enables them to gain power and control over themselves and over the environment. Empowering others has numerous advantages, for example, empowered people are more proactive and more responsible. Empowering others involves such strategies asbeing positive, avoiding verbal aggressiveness and abusiveness, and encouraging growth, and especially helpful and most often greatly appreciated in cases of shyness or highcommunication apprehension.

Famliy

Defined roles: members understand the roles each of them serves. Recognition of responsibilities: members realizethat each person has certain responsibilities to the relationship. Shared history and future: members have an interactional past and an anticipated future together. Shared living space: generally member live together. Established rules: the relationship is rule governed, rather than random or unpredictable.

Family types:

Traditional see themselves as a blending of two people into single couple. Independents see themselves as primarily separate indivuals, and see their individuality as more important than the relationship or the individual

Love

Love is feeling that may be characterized by closeness and caring and by intimacy, passion, and commitment.
There are many type of love:
Eros love focuses on beauty and sexuality, Love at first sight, based on physical attributes and is mostly physical arousal; Eros is definitely love, touch, and affection, but it also has a great deal to do with physical love. If the rest of the chart does not contradict, a strong Eros gives a strong need for physical contact with others, especially sex. It can also add charisma, and the ability to charm almost anyone. Erotic lovers view marriage as an extended honeymoon, and sex as the ultimate aesthetic experience. They tend to address their lovers with pet names, such as "sweetheart" or "honey." An erotic lover can be perceived as a hopeless romantic. Those of other love styles may see erotic lovers as unrealistic, or trapped in a fantasy. The advantage of erotic love is the sentimentality of it. It is very relaxing to the person doing it. The disadvantage is the inevitableness of the decay in attraction, and the danger of living in a fantasy world. In its extreme, eros can resemble naivete.
Ludus love is seen as a game and focuses on entertainment and excitement. It is also known as a rover and collector of loves, very pluralistic. Ludic lovers are players. More interested in quantity than quality of relationships, ludic lovers want to have as much fun as possible. Ludic lovers choose their partners by playing the field, and quickly recover from break-ups. Ludic lovers generally view marriage as a trap, and are the most likely of the love styles to commit infidelity. They might view children as a sign of fertility, or, if male, a confirmation of their masculinity. They address their lovers as "babe," or "studmuffin." Sex is a conquest or a sport, and they engage in relationships because they see them as a challenge. The advantage of ludic love is excellent sexual technique. The disadvantage is the likelihood of infidelity. In its extreme form, ludic love becomes promiscuity.
Storge love is a kind of companionship, peaceful and slow. Pragme love is practical and traditional. It is a loving affection that develops over time, is primarily affection and commitment; Storgic lovers are friends first. Storgic love develops gradually out of friendship, and the friendship can endure beyond the breakup of the relationship. Storgic lovers choose their mates based on homogamy, and sometimes cannot pinpoint the moment that friendship turned to love. Storgic lovers want their significant others to also be their best friends. Storgic lovers place much importance on commitment, and find their motivation to avoid committing infidelity is to preserve the trust between the partners. Children and marriage are seen as legitimate forms of their bond. Sex is of lesser importance than in some of the other love styles. The advantage of storgic love is the level of intimacy between the partners. The disadvantage is boredom and lack of passion.
Mania love is obsessive and possessive, characterized as elation and depression. It is an intense preoccupation with the loved one, intensly jealous and possessive, in need of constant reassurance of partner's love. Projects desired qualities on partner. Manic lovers often have low self-esteem, and place much importance on their relationship. Manic lovers speak of their partners in possessives and superlatives, and feel they "need" their partners. Love is a means of rescue, or a reinforcement of value. Manic lovers often discover their partners by haphazard means. Manic lovers will avoid committing infidelity if they fear discovery. They view marriage as ownership, and children as either competition or a substitute for their lover. Sex is a reassurance of love. Manic lovers are often anxious or insecure, and can be extremely jealous. Manic lovers respond well to therapy, and often grow out of this style. The advantage of manic love is intensity. The disadvantage is jealousy, obsessiveness, and insatiability. In its extreme, mania becomes addiction or codependency.
Agape love is compassionate and selfless,characterized as self-giving and altruistic. Verbal and nonverbal message echo the intimacy of a love relationship. With increased intimacy, you share more, speak is more personalized style, eagage in prolonged eye contact, and touch each other more often. Members of individualist cultures are likely to place greater emphasis on romantic love than are members of collectivist cultures.
Agapic lovers are often spiritual or religious people. Agapic lovers view their partners as blessings, and wish to take care of them. Agapic lovers will remain faithful to their partners to avoid causing them pain, and will often wait patiently for their partners after a break-up. Marriage and children are sacred trusts, and sex is a gift between two people. Agapic love is unconditional. Agapic lovers can eventually grow to feel they have been taken advantage of, and feel they've been used. The advantage of agapic love is its generosity. The disadvantage is its guilt-tripping nature. In its deviant form, agape becomes martyrdom.

Men generally score higher on erotic and ludic love, whereas women score higher on manic, pragmatic, and storgic love. Men generally score higher on romanticism than women.

Relationship

In a relationship, it s easy to assume you know all there is to know about your partner. But people change. You should try to be aware of what is happening in your relationship and understand who your partner is and where they are at. Relationship development happens when you pay close attention and stay curious about (but respectful of) each other. Getting to know one another strengthens the bonds and makes life a more wonderful place to live in.

Relationship maintenance comes into play when we find someone we feel we can connect to in some ways, we are filled with indefinable, rather vague expectations regarding that person. Making a relationship last depends on how the couples involved relate with each other. Life doesn t give you the people you want; instead it gives you the ones you need: to teach you, to hurt you, to love you - to make you exactly the way you should be . These expectations remain deep inside our sub consciousness, despite our apparent denial.

Relationship Deterioration mostly occur when couples or friends begin to not understand each other and that's when the love/friendship starts to fall apart. Among the causes of relationship deteriorationare unrealistic beliefs about relationship, excessive intimacy claims, third-party relationships, relationship charges, undefined expectations, sex-related problems, work- related problems, and financial difficulties.

Most people who care about the relationship would want to mend it at once. Relationship Repairing is essential to every love life or friendship. General repair strategies include recognizing the problem, engaging in productive communication and conflict resolution, posing possible solutions, affirming each other, integrating solutions into normal behavior, and risking. Repair isn't necessarily a two-person process; one person can break unproductive and destructive cycles.

But when the feelings is right and you know that it's over thats when relationship dissolution come about. Among the strategies are positive tone, negative identity management, justification, behavioral de- escalation, and deescalation of exclusivity. It's up to the individual to either end it by being friends or it could get ugly. I strongly suggest that when couple or friends reach this stage, it's best to let the dust settle before talking to each other because it might spark an argument.

Relationship Dissolution

Dissolution is the breaking or dissolving of the bonds that hold the relationship together. Among the stretegies are positive tone, negative identity management, justification, behavioral de- escalation, and deescalation of exclusivity.

Relationship Repair

In relationship repair people endeavor to correct the problems that beset a relationship and to bring the relationship to a more intimate, more positive states. General repair strategies include recognizing the problem, engaging in productive communication and conflict resolution, posing possible solutions, affirming each other, integrating solutions into normal behavior, and risking. Repair isn't necessarily a two-person process; one person can break unproductive and destructive cycles.

Relationship Deterioration

. Relationship deterioration involvesthe weakening of the bonds holding people together. It occurs when one or both parties are unhappy mith the current state of the relationship. Among the causes of relationship deteriorationare unrealistic beliefs about relationship, axcessive intimacy claims, third-party relationships, relationship charges, undefined expectations, sex-related problems, work- related problems, and financial difficulties. Among the negative effects of relationship deterioration may be loss of good times and positive interactions, a loss of self- esteem, and financial problem. Positive effects may include an end to the relationship problems that precipitated the breakip, a independence, and opportunity to develop nw relationships. Among the communication charges that occur during relationship deterioration are verbal and nonverbal withdrawal, a decline in self- disclosure, an increase in deception, and an increase in negative messages and decrease in positive messages.

Relationship Maintenance

Reason for maintaining a relationship include emotional attachment, convenience, children, fear, inertia, and commitment. Maintenance behaviors include being nice, comunicating, being positive, and improving yourself. Relationship maintenance can be achieved by followin the rules for keeping the relationship, wheather friendship or romance, together.

Relationship Development

A ttraction theory holds that you are develop relationship with those you consider attractive(phsically and in personality),who are physically close to you, andwho are similar to you. Sosial exchange theory holds that you develop relationship that enable to you to maximixe profits-relationship from which you devire more rewards than costs. Equity theory holds that you develop and maintain relationships in which your ratio of rewards compared to costs is approximately equal to your partner's.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SILENT Significance of silent in social interaction is the absence of speech. Silent in this arena can be divided into three categories (Bureau, 1973): mental, social, or both. These are defined according to time, context, and perception. Physiologically, silent is the result of hesitation, stutters, self-correction, or the deliberate slowing of speech for the purpose of clarification or processing of ideas. These are short silent. Interactive silent occurs in interactive roles, reactive tokens, or turn-taking. According to cultural norms, silent can be interpreted as positive or negative. For example, in a Christian Methodist faith organization silent and reflection during the sermons might be appreciated by the congregation, while in a Southern Baptist church, silent might mean disagreement with what is being taught, or perhaps disconnectedness from the congregated community.

Photo Reading on Significance of Facial Expressions in Culture

Right off the bat, you ascertain that the lady in this picture is sad. Why? Is it written that she's feeling so or are you just guessing? Definitely not. It's the expression on her face that tell you inverably that she's sad. How do you determine that?

"Facial movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among humans, but also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species."

Quote From Wikipedia.

Facial expressions of emotions are hardwired into our gens. It's true that without saying a word, you can actually change the atmosphere or the vibe around you or between your friends. Facial expressions are even able to betray the deceiver's true emotions. Facial expressions can however be deceptive at times when people completely master the art of controlling their mind.

Here's a number of female facial expressions that the guys should really pay attention to.

The obvious conclusion to this is that our face are the universal expressions of the human body next to body language. This may prove to be useful in professional life when one need not always express what he/she feels. However, it’s always good to be with people who express themselves freely, through words as well as body language. It would only help you to establish a better bond with the people you care for in your life.

Here's a game for the fellow readers to check if the know how to differentiate one facial expression from another. Click here.

Readers, do tell us. What do you think the lady in this picture is expressing? Comment up please! :)

Significance of Color in Culture

Colors evoke strong physiological and emotional responses from both positive and negative. And different colors have different meanings to different people. If we are unfamiliar with the cultural significance of a certain color of product, brand, or identity we might end up failing before it has a chance to take off! Let’s take a closer look at the cultural significance of color! :P

Red , for instance is a very stimulating color and has been shown to produce increased heart and respiratory rates. Thus, red works as an excellent attention grabber and accent but could easily overstimulate when used as a background color. Perhaps it is also the most significant color in China. Why? No where is this color more prominent than on the Chinese flag. Representing good fortune and joy, red is also one of the most used colors during Chinese holidays and family gatherings. It is also the color the Chinese associate with fire, one of the five elements its people believe create everything that exists in nature.

However, in India, the color red represents something quite different: Purity.Indian brides traditionally wear red gowns and once married their foreheads are adorned with a red dot or tikka, the symbol of commitment. Because the wedding represents the beginning of a union of two individuals, the color red also symbolizes fertility and prosperity.

Now, let's look at the color green.In North American cultures, green means go.It is also associated with environmental awareness.It is a symbolic of nature, and is often linked to fiscal matters. But,i n India green is the color used to honor Islam. As popular as green is, don’t use it if you plan on doing business with Indonesian people. That’s because in Indonesia, green is a forbidden color. In countries with dense jungles like those in South America, green represents death. But in the Middle East, green is the color of luck.Green is also a sacred color to the Egyptians because it represents the hope and joy of Spring.

What about the colour white?White represents mourning in Chinese cultures. However, the western culture symbolize white as color of purity and innocence. It also signify life. Besides that it also represents cleanliness, truth, peace, coldness and sterility.

Black is often used to symbolize death in the western culture. Besides representing death, it also represents power, sophistication, contemporary style, morbidity, evil and also rebellion. But in China, t is a color for young boys.

But the color purple is a color of mourning in Thailand. It is a color for the widows. In the western culture, purple is often associated with royalty,wealth and opulence. It is also a color for mystery,creativity, royalty, mysticism, rarity.

In Iran, blue symbolizes immortality. It is a color of heaven and spirituality. But for the Cherokees it means defeat or trouble.l In western cultures, blue is associated with depression,sadness,conservative,corperate.It also symbolize loyalty, security, conservatism, tranquility and coldness.

Yellow represents reliability and strength in Saudi Arabia.Chinese associate yellow with another of the five elements, the Earth, and as such, this color represents royalty and it also means nourishing.In Japan, it is the color for courage but in Eygpt its the color for mourning. Yellow is associated with cowardice, hope, hazards.

We can emphasize certain meanings over others by using variations of value and saturation, or by using colors that combine two hues. Therefore, it is important for us to learn about the different significance of colors in different culture. Not only will it broaden our knowledge but it'll also prevent us from offending the different races and cultures in the world.

Photo Reading on Perception

Instead of the usual long winded, twisted, unabsorbable words that are often used to explain a concept of a certain thing, our group have came up with another method that should be more interesting to our fellow readers. As you've read from the title of this post, photos will be the main source of information and of course, a word or two to guide you along. It is proven that by photo reading we can absorb and understand the material 3 times faster than normal black and white sentences, or is that just an illusion which our mind chooses to believe? Which brings us back to our title, Perception. What is it? How do we do it and why?

Remember when our parents always asks us to choose the right friends to be with or else we'll become bad apples. Percepting has always been a way of seperating our good friends from the bad. We percept because we want to be with people that can be meaningful and well worth it. We percept using the stages of perception which are selection, organization, interpretation and negotiation.

When we look at this picture, we can observe that those disturbing hollowed eye people are staring rudely at that poor blue man. In our own(group) word, they're percepting, trying to learn about that man from it's outlook and what made him a different individual among the rest. For the readers viewing the picture, what do you precept from this picture? Perhaps the blue man was a disgrace to the society and has become an outcast? Maybe he was viewed contrarily because of his skin colour? Perchance your observation would be the same as your friends, who knows? Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment.

Readers, do tell us. What can you percept from this particular photo above? Comment up please! :)

Cooley's theory

'Looking Glass- Self ' was a theory which was created by Charles H. Cooley.

It's a process of developing a self-image by the information or messages that we gather from the people around us. Cooley's theory basically tell us:

- How we interpret or how we perceive ourself.

- The need for feedbacks from others to realise the perception they have towards us and to find out who we are.

- Comparison of what others perceive in us. In some ways might makes u shameful or proud from what people around us assumed us to be.