Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Hi....
How are you....
Hamba (A South African expression for go away!)

Ever wondered how to properly make friends, how to keep them, or get rid of them!

Well, there are 3 stages you go through when meeting someone or a new person. 

The entry stage is where you and a person meets, does not nesecaraly mean the first time. Although you might know where the person comes from at that pointg or what the person did prior to meeting up, you will not be fully aware of that and will normally start off with a greeting. Expressions under this first stage include, - Hello!
- Hello to you too!
- How are you?
- I'm fine how are you?

The personal stage follows the first one, and it is where questions are asked in-order to seek clarification and much more detail on the person and his/her doings. Expressions under this stage include, what is your name? , from where are you? , how old are you? , where do you work? This is the stage that normally promotes or cuts short current and or future interactions with persons.

In the third and last stage which is the exit level, you and another person can decide whether to move on, by ending the conversation, making an arrangement to proceed further with another topic, in another setting or to make friends and perhaps meet again soon.

All stages are not practiced each time in that order as certain cultures 'okays' it to start at the second stage and just proceed from there. All of you would know how your cultures regulates interaction among yourselves, but with attention to these stages it will then be beneficial to communicate inter-culturally and make new friends.

Why do I feel so tall

Did you wake up one morning and adjusted your bathroom mirror, your rear view motor mirror or even bended your legs to fit into that reflective surface you always look yourself into while on your way to work perhaps..

This is to do with how you sleep at night. A straight posture style of sleeping at night makes you stretched out at morning time, hence making you feel tall and just want to adjust that mirror so that you can see the remaining part of your head.

Cognitive dissonance

Ever wondered why you feel so uncomfortable at a certain time, times where you want to do something or have that feeling, yet something is just making you uneasy about it...

This feeling known as cognitive dissonance is when a person holds at least two ideas or feelings at the same time, thus causing this uncomfortable feeling.

An example to this is intimate relationships. One partner feels happy and in love, yet at the same time feels spending to much time and being to close physically with the partner makes him/her uneasy.

The implications of this is, and not only restricted to this, would be speedy replies on a mobile phone, and then no or very late replies which are accompanied most of the times with an explanation of a task they started with, prior to your communication to them. Their behavior is a kind of trend, and the intervals between interacting with the partner and being repelled by the partner thus also follows a pattern.
Another example is, "I like you so much", to " I miss you so much", then it changes (above mentioned trend) to "I'm so tired", and I'm so busy". If you wonder now whats wrong with the last two quotes, try looking at the "I's". First person expressions are more direct and used to affirm oneself. With that the person can succeed in being alone (the other feeling) for some time, and then feel too lonely again and initiate discussions with the partner. A cycle....

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