Would you consider gossip to be a bad thing, even if it is not done maliciously? Do you find that it is more common that people gossip in order to harm others or simply because they want to know more information? Is gossip something we can control and try to stop doing or is the article right and it's simply human nature to gossip?
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Why We Share Secrets
Being students at an all girls high school, none of us are unfamiliar with gossip. We are all told not to do it but at one time or another everyone has gossiped, and in some cases it has led to consequences, like the ending of a friendship. In Mark Matousek's article, he explains how four of his best friends had dropped him as a friend over gossip. What infuriated him about this fight with his friends was that the gossip was not malicious, and in fact was just because he and his friends (who frequently gossiped too) just wanted to share information and never meant any harm. He goes on to explain that as people, we are able to share information and that's an advantage in our human evolution. People gossip because they care about what is going on around them and want to share information with each other so everybody can be in the know. It is part of human nature, and as long as it is done in an innocent manner, and not with the intent to hurt another person it is a harmless aspect of human life.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
What Motivates You?
In his article, "Different Motivational Strokes for Differentially Motivated Folks," Dr. John Tauer explains a time he was challenged when attempting to motivate a basketball player he coached. Dr. Tauer thought that he had motivation broken down to an exact science. In this case, he had been proven wrong. Tauer initially stressed the value of intrinsic motivation for a person to succeed over extrinsic motivation. His player surprised him by saying it was necessary that his coach yell, punish, and embarrass him in front of the other players in order to motivate him. Puzzled by his athlete's acceptance of his own lazy behavior, Dr. Tauer listened to what the player had to say and continued to motivate him in this manner and eventually culminated in a successful season overall.
I personally know that I am not motivated to do something if I am being spoken to in a negative tone. Although it is necessary to get a 'kick in the butt,' there are often poor communicators who attempt to motivate others but actually end up demotivating them. I think in motivating people, in any type of setting, it is necessary to first establish a layer of trust and to next treat them as a equal- not to condescend or belittle them. I think understanding that everyone responds to different things is necessary when motivating a group or an individual.
What motivates you? Do you respond better to some people and not others? Why or why not? Have you ever been faced with a difficult situation in trying to motivate others? What happened?
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