Monday, May 6, 2013
COM 250 / Wk. #6 Discussion: Dialectical vs. Dichotomous: Pros and Cons in Dealing with Communication Problems
Dialectical thinking can be applied to the solving of many conflicting dyads in our life. Have you ever tried to use dialectical thinking to resolve conflicting relationships in your life? What's your experience with dichotomous approach to contradictions in your life? Or now consider you are facing some contradictions in your life, how could you use dialectical thinking to arrive at a different resolution?
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This class has been so informative. I was surprised to learn of the Puritanical view that humans are fundamentally evil. The dichotomous nature of this country is evident where every issue has a side of for or against it. There is no middle ground. I have the benefit of having witnessed the last 40+ years and despite a strict and deep conditioning that most of my generation experienced, I am beginning to see that the more complex an issue, the more dialectical thinking would be effective. Sometimes we have to “agree to disagree”. Dichotomous thinking is limiting and doesn’t allow for us to use the creative process to problem solve. I believe dialectical thinking is our future. I would like to think this way of thinking is a direct result of the awareness and respect of an individual’s uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Colleen
I agree with Colleen that this class has been very informative and continues to interest me in the different topics that have been covered so far in this class. Dialectical thinking is not new to me, I had the opportunity a few years ago to sit in on a self-help class called DBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This class was very informative and I actually took some of the techniques and have applied them to my everyday life situations. Since applying some of these techniques to my life it has prevented conflicts in my life and in my relationships with others. It is a matter of the way a person approaches a situation and the way it is handled. Yes, sometimes we have to agree to disagree and honestly most others can't seem to grasp this concept. I also think that if others were introduced to the dialectical techniques that it would make such a big difference in how others interact with each other, dichotomous thinking doesn't improve an individuals creative thinking process. Being able to find a solution to a problem rather than staying in the problem is a big step in the dialectical thinking process. I have found for myself personally that this works for my problem solving strategies.
ReplyDeleteIn the United States I've noticed that people tend to think in a more dichotomous manner. People tend to be so narrow minded when issues arise. For example if a person has a particular side to a political view people will either say that they are completely right in thinking that way or the polar opposite. This all takes place because that is the way the individuals have been raised. They have been shown that there is only right and wrong and this is definition by their parent’s idea of right and wrong. People need to start looking at situations at more of a dialectal approach because it shows that sometimes a situation can be both. People need to realize that everyone has their customs and just because they do not fit with theirs doesn't make their belief wrong or "bad". Growing up I've been taught that there is always two sides to every story. Just because from your point of view something may appear as correct or right doesn't mean that the other person’s side is wrong. One must step back and walk in that other individuals shoes and see from their point of view, experience their beliefs and see how possibly why their side is correct. I feel like less communication issues would arise if more people would stop arguing issues as to why they are right or wrong. We need to start seeing that situations can go either way which will in return help us solve situations in an easier manner because more is focused on solving the issue instead of arguing the right and wrong of it.
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