Breaking Down, Building Up, Breaking Down, aaaaaaaaaand Building Up Again -.-

      Have you as a kid ever tried playing with Lego toys? I use to remember playing with Lego pieces and even up to this day whenever I walk by a toy store I would go in and check new Lego toy sets. I think my deep love for the toy came from the idea of building my own creations and then breaking them down to make new creations again. 

Lego Cycle! Wish I could make this.

      Listening to the structuration theory during class kept reminding me of the Lego sets I used to play with. Building the various Lego creations I envisioned and imagine ( I would usually make big robot Lego creations.... go figure! :D ) At first whenever I made any of my creations it would always be wobbly but I would eventually fix it given a bit of time and experimentation. As I got used to making similar creations to the previous ones I made it got easier and easier to create sturdier creations right of the bat. Like the structuration theory says the organizations create the structures that give order to the group. 

      Passing through some paragraphs of the reading for structuration theory it kept talking about the use of structure in an organization. Like the Lego pieces I used, people use structures in organization to make it sturdy. With the passage of time in an organization the "rules" or rather the agency (the behaviors and actions we perform) further fortify the structure in the organization much like how got used to making the various Lego creations back then. Another quality I found in this theory that I also found in my Lego childhood toys was that I was able to recycle the creations by taking apart and using the pieces again for a new creation. Structure can also be broken down and be reformed into something new just like transitioning from the high school environment to the college environment. Structures may be sturdy enough but not indestructible but cab also be rebuilt.

Finally Out of Hiatus :D

Finally! My blog is out of hiatus! That was a sure long week of no communication class discussions so no blogs at that time :/ But now comm class is up again meaning blogs are starting up again :D


     This week's single meeting (although a short one with the announcements of midterm grades and the photo contest which btw was won by Gabriel Dionglay! Grats!) held an interesting theory. We are done with some of the more personal theories and are finally moving on to group theories. Stepping up to the plate to bat first for the group theories is "GroupThink".
     GroupThink has a nice ring to its name don't you think so? Not only does it have a nice ring to it but it also has a pretty intriguing idea. GroupThink in a nutshell refers to how one actually thinks like the group in other words you the individual who belongs in a group will think in the same way as the group. Still a bit too complicated? Well have you ever been in a group that you just give in to one decision despite knowing you have a better idea yourself? GroupThink is like that making you decide for the sake of the group and just going with the flow.
     Here I think is a prefect example of GroupThink at work that should be more common to everyone.

Friend 1: Saan tayo kakain?
Friend 2: Kahit saan na lang basta okay yung pagkain.
Friend 3: Sa _______ na lang! Masarap doon!
Friend 4: Ayaw ko doon, sabi nila hindi daw masarap.
Friend 2: Eh... Saan mo gusto ngayon?
Friend 4: Ummmmm.....Kahit saan....
Friend 1: Wala na tayong ibang maisip eh....
Friend 4: Sige na nga doon na lang.
Friend 3: YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

     A common "barkada" dilemma that even we experience. Despite #4 having different thoughts about ______ in the end he just gave in to the decision of one in order for the group to even continue with their plans eating out. The idea suggest that you would just "rather go with the flow" to preserve the group rather than throw it into disarray.
    Here are some of my personal thoughts as to why this happens different from the creator of the theory. My first idea was to avoid alienation by the group. Rather than actually trying to preserve the group itself my opinion is people do this because they want to preserve their membership in the group and not the group itself. People are naturally social beings and they need companions so being alienated from a group is not a desired possibility. Honestly if I were in the shoes of #4 I'd rather eat a place I hate with my friend than eat a place I like all alone. You can relate this to cognitive dissonance that you see companionship as the minimal justification in your choice. The above example situation is what you call "peer pressure" that you view it better to just give in rather than lose the companionship of the group you are in. See GroupThink doesn't only have a nice ring to it but also a hell darn good of an idea as well :D