Ethics in Communication

I-Thou Communication and Personal or Cultural Differences

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It’s natural for us to communicate one way with our close friends and loved ones and a different way with strangers or mere acquaintances. We also find it natural to communicate in culturally accepted ways with people of our own culture, and we may feel at ease when communicating with others from a different culture. In this discussion activity, we will examine some of the questions about communicating ethically with others according to the intimacy of our relationships with them and according to cultural similarities and differences. This activity aligns with module outcome 1.

Answer one of the following discussion questions below.

1. Give an example of how you use I-It communication with some people and another example of how you use I-Thou communication with others. Do you think it would it be more ethical to use I-Thou communication with everyone? Explain your response.
2. Postmodernism explores the concept of power. How do you think the differences in power according to racial, ethnic, gender, or other cultural aspects impact our ethical decisions? Give at least one specific example in your response.
3. Describe how you negotiated the four phases of holistic care in a relationship involving care giving or receiving.
4. Martin Buber believed it was possible to develop successful dialogue using I-Thou communication even with someone who has strong polarized differences than you.   Do you agree? Provide a rationale and give an example for your response.
5. In addition to Buber and Gilligan, our textbook author discussed several other scholars.  Select one of the other scholars that interests you most and explain why their theories or practice resonated with you