DEFINITIONAL PROBLEMSPersonal chara

DEFINITIONAL PROBLEMS

Personal characteristics such as shyness are hard to define, both for the lay person and for the social psychologist. In everyday life people can easily identify the meaning of a social exchange, even though they cannot explain this meaning in words. As in many other aspects of social life, people are skilled practitioners without being capable teachers of social interaction. Giddens (1984) refers to this situation as a distinction between "prac- tical" and "discursive" consciousness: the former refers to the ability to perform the mundane skills of everyday interaction, such as greetings and polite exchanges; the latter refers to the ability to describe these skills verbally. Typically we cannot give a discur- sive amount even of such apparently simple actions as ending telephone calls (see Sche- gloff and Sacks 1973). In this paper we intend to translate practical knowledge about shyness and self-confidence into discursive knowl- edge.
Shyness and self-confidence have been difficult to define in the literature. Philip Zimbardo, for example, acknowledged that his pioneering Stanford survey of shyness "allowed each person to adopt his or her definition" ( 1977, p. 13). Another prominent researcher, Jonathan Cheek, defines shyness as "a temporary emotional reaction triggered by encountering new people and situations" (1989, p. xv). Writing with Stephen Briggs in a recent volume devoted to shyness and

embarrassment, Cheek refined this definition, stating that shyness is "the tendency to feel tense, worried, or awkward during social interactions, especially with unfamiliar peo- ple" (Cheek and Briggs 1990, p. 321). The authors also suggested that shyness is the opposite of social self-confidence (1990, p.
322). Although these definitions are impor- tant preliminary classifications, they do not capture the day-to-day interactional practices of shy and self-confident individuals.
Further definitional problems result from the use of vocabularies that are distinctive to academic disciplines. Social psychologists, psychiatrists, and communication specialists have analyzed the problem of anxiety about social interaction. Social psychologists usu- ally employ the everyday term shyness. Psychiatrists, however, prefer the expression social phobia, a term that suggests an underlying medical problem. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM III-R) lists various symptoms of this disorder. The critical element of the psychiatric definition is "persistent fear of one or more situations (the social phobic situations) in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing" (American Psychiatric Associ- ation 1987, p. 243). At present, several efforts are being made to treat social phobia pharmacologically. By contrast, scholars in communication studies prefer the term com- munication apprehension, which they define as "an individual's level of fear or anxiety associated with real or anticipated communi- cation with another person or persons" (Mccroskey 1982, p. 137). Although these scholars' interest often is linked to the anxiety felt by people before public appearances and speeches, it also includes communication in small groups and dyadic encounters.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

MASALAH DEFINISIKarakteristik pribadi seperti rasa malu sulit untuk menentukan, baik untuk orang awam dan untuk psikolog sosial. Dalam kehidupan sehari-hari orang-orang dapat dengan mudah mengidentifikasi makna pertukaran sosial, meskipun mereka tidak bisa menjelaskan makna ini dalam kata-kata. Seperti banyak aspek lain dari kehidupan sosial, orang yang terampil praktisi tanpa guru-guru interaksi sosial. Giddens (1984) mengacu pada situasi ini sebagai perbedaan antara "prac-tical" dan "diskursif" kesadaran: mantan mengacu pada kemampuan untuk melakukan keterampilan biasa interaksi sehari-hari, seperti salam dan sopan pertukaran; yang terakhir mengacu pada kemampuan untuk menggambarkan keterampilan ini secara lisan. Biasanya kita tidak bisa memberikan sejumlah discur-sive bahkan dari tindakan yang tampaknya sederhana sebagai berakhir panggilan telepon (Lihat Sche-gloff dan karung 1973). Dalam makalah ini kami bermaksud untuk menerjemahkan pengetahuan praktis tentang rasa malu dan rasa percaya diri ke diskursif knowl-tepi.Rasa malu dan rasa percaya diri telah sulit untuk menentukan dalam literatur. Philip Zimbardo, misalnya, mengakui bahwa Stanford perintis survei rasa malu "memungkinkan setiap orang untuk mengadopsi definisi nya" (1977, ms. 13). Peneliti terkemuka lain, Jonathan Cheek, mendefinisikan rasa malu sebagai "sementara reaksi emosional dipicu oleh bertemu orang baru dan situasi" (1989, ms. xv). Menulis dengan Stephen Briggs dalam volume yang terakhir dikhususkan untuk rasa malu dan embarrassment, Cheek refined this definition, stating that shyness is "the tendency to feel tense, worried, or awkward during social interactions, especially with unfamiliar peo- ple" (Cheek and Briggs 1990, p. 321). The authors also suggested that shyness is the opposite of social self-confidence (1990, p.322). Although these definitions are impor- tant preliminary classifications, they do not capture the day-to-day interactional practices of shy and self-confident individuals.Further definitional problems result from the use of vocabularies that are distinctive to academic disciplines. Social psychologists, psychiatrists, and communication specialists have analyzed the problem of anxiety about social interaction. Social psychologists usu- ally employ the everyday term shyness. Psychiatrists, however, prefer the expression social phobia, a term that suggests an underlying medical problem. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM III-R) lists various symptoms of this disorder. The critical element of the psychiatric definition is "persistent fear of one or more situations (the social phobic situations) in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing" (American Psychiatric Associ- ation 1987, p. 243). At present, several efforts are being made to treat social phobia pharmacologically. By contrast, scholars in communication studies prefer the term com- munication apprehension, which they define as "an individual's level of fear or anxiety associated with real or anticipated communi- cation with another person or persons" (Mccroskey 1982, p. 137). Although these scholars' interest often is linked to the anxiety felt by people before public appearances and speeches, it also includes communication in small groups and dyadic encounters.