Why Are Misunderstood?

Listening is ‘Not an attempt to understand something that is being said’ but ‘Just an attention to the activity of sounds’

Often, we understand what is communicated to us, not by what we hear, but by what we see. This can be demonstrated in Albert Mehrebian’s Three Elements of Communication, that only 7% of what we understand comes from the words which are being used. 38 % is understood by the voice of the sender but an incredible 55 % of communication is done by body language. A tapping of the

One in five American students has a learning disability this is according to the documentary “Misunderstood Minds’’ produced by WGBH. Children with learning disabilities are more likely to become outcasts in school and in society. The documentary follows five families dealing with a differently abled child; Nathan V, Lauren, Sarah Lee, Adam, and Nathan S. The film focuses on difficulties the families go through, professionalism or lack of it by school officials and demystification.

Disregarding the way that the irrelevant point of view of examining and diverse theories recommend that listening comprehension is a crucial determinant of scrutinizing

The author is explaining his thoughts that could soon change the world. The world will keep on waiting if nobody will make a difference that can have an impact on someone so badly or greatly that can either make them change for the better or worse. In this quote he is speaking of how he is misunderstood, “ We’re all misunderstood, They say we stand for nothing and There’s no way we ever could Now we see everything that’s going wrong.” This quote is stating that ‘They’ have always said that they don’t have a purpose or isn’t really anyone special or needed here. Yet the artist tells us that no matter who says it, and what they have said, you need to believe that you do know that this world is wrong. Everyone in this world is living with a purpose it’s just if you actually believe in yourself then nobody can really bring your life down. He is saying that no matter what this world will keep on waiting until we can trust the things that we really don’t believe all the time. This song is stating that this new generation will one day take over this world and maybe the world will change.

These symbols, according to our book, “have different meanings for different individuals” (Benokraitis 18). I think that is an important part of understanding this theory and our society. We act differently than others because these things have different meanings than another individual. For example, using the gesture “thumbs up” can have different meanings. In the U.S. thumbs up is a very common and acceptable gesture meaning you agree or good job but for some in other countries it can be an offensive gesture meaning “sit on this” or “up yours”. This creates the different aspects of the society by the meanings being different. In our book it states that “we typically learn our definitions of a situation through interaction with significant others” (Benokraitis 18). Based on this theory, these relationships are essential in our ability to define these symbols and have the knowledge of what they mean within our society in order for us to know how to act appropriately.

Have you ever been in a situation where a perception of you or another has been misunderstood? Many people most likely have been in a situation where one has said or done something, that without bad intentions has made someone believe something that is not. In my experience I have had some cases similar to this prompt. A recent situation that I can remember, would have to do with me and a friend. She is more of a loud person who puts herself out their. Where I am more of a quieter person.

2. Experiencing of a specific moment is defined differently by each person. The way I experience something may be different than the person sitting next to me but both experiences are important. Being able to listen to what someone else’s experience is of the same moment lets you see the bigger picture. Sometimes we lose sight of the whole picture because our past experiences automatically fill in the answer for us.

Corbin watched Patria disappear up the stairs and heard her bedroom door, his bedroom door, close softly. What he’d said was the truth. Her mother had protected her till her death. But maybe Patria was right as well. By not telling her what they knew they were leaving her vulnerable. She trusted the Cavicks too much. Maybe if she knew their hands were dirty she wouldn’t be so trusting. He would go talk to her, but it could wait. He still needed more information. He needed to talk to Alexandrov again.

We fill in our own ideas and get different messages. So often we hear that a politician or celebrity has to apologize for what they said. A listener puts in their own interpretation which may not be what the speaker meant. When someone speaks we need to figure out what their message is not what we think it could be.

In today’s reality we face stereotypes and misconceptions everywhere in the world. Every so often these two are compared and mistakenly thought of to be prejudiced and discriminating. A stereotype is based on an exaggerated truth used to categorize a group of people and misconceptions are formed from stereotypes but based on untruths. Prejudice is when people are not liked for their opinion and discrimination is when someone is treated differently for their opinion. We get most of what we hear and see from media, news, and magazines.

Affirming the Mystery of the Other- This principle teaches us to listen in a different order to better the dialogue. “the mystery of other is at the heart of dialogue” (pg. 9).

1. The four stages of listening are phonetic identification, context words, syntax, and meaning selection. Phonetic identification is sound recognition to help understand the sounds that are spoken. Context words helps us develop a basic understanding of what is being said. Syntax is how we put our sentences together before speaking or writing. Meaning selection is how we form our on perception of the meaning of the message.

Bach and Harnish (1979: 3) do not adopt Searle’s criteria of the direction of fit. Instead they employ an approach which is known as intention-and-inference. According to this approach there is more than just transmitting signals in linguistic communication, the hearer’s inference is equally required.

These versus speak to the importance of listening. Listening involves more than hearing the sound. It involves hearing the heart and motive in what you are hearing especially when you are being given advice.