For JoyMercy

In the photo, the man is looking at his computer while his wife lays her head on his thigh, but she is looking at the cat. This sets the scene for the next case study, which focuses on face threats and face saving. The mutual cooperation involved in projecting face is a principle of interaction that is taken for granted. Being able to create and sustain an identity for oneself, as well as helping the other person to create and maintain an identity for him/herself, is a fundamental component of communication competence. The purpose of this activity is to apply correctly the key concepts, principles, and suggestions from Chapter 7 to the case study.

Read the following case study and the instructions that follow it.

“A long-lasting conflict centered on the amount of time and affection Frank’s wife, Judy, was spending on their cat, Lucky. This conflict took place a number of times, usually whenever Frank was feeling neglected. Whenever Judy entered the house, she lavished the cat with affection. In fact, every time she passed the cat in the hallway, she would stop and caress her, talk to her, and go out of her way to make the cat feel loved. From his perspective, Frank felt that Judy always had time to give the cat the affection she needed (and more) while never having time to provide the affection he felt that he needed. It had become natural for her to seek out the cat and be affectionate with her, while Frank had to ask or make an appointment. He inferred from her actions that she was never too busy for the cat but rarely had enough time for him. He was jealous of a cat.

From Judy’s perspective, the cat was helpless and her lavishing attention was only because the cat was so ‘cute and defenseless.’ Judy didn’t realize that Frank would really enjoy short, quick doses of affection throughout the day like she was giving the cat. Because of a few instances where Judy interrupted Frank while he was working intensely on something and he responded a bit negatively, she also felt that he might put a damper on her affectionate overtures toward him by not being responsive or by failing to ‘purr.’ ”

The original version of this case study appears in Cahn, D., & Abigail, R.A. (2014), Managing conflict through communication (5th Edition), p. 174.

For this discussion, please engage in the following:

1. Read the case study
2. Jot down what concepts you read in Chapter 7 that might apply to this scenario
3. Define what the concept(s) is that fits this case
4. State what behaviors you see happening that substantiate why you chose the concepts you have identified
5. Write a 250-300 word post where you put together #2 and #3; this post should be in narrative form
6. Include references to the textbook in your post; use the APA style guide
7. Make sure to proofread for grammar