Pragmatic perspective

2.)

Consider the pragmatic perspective. Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction? How is communication like a game? How is it different from a game?

I definitively agree with the author as to think of communication as a chess game or a patterned interaction between people. For instance he says, "Each player is affected by what another player does. Players need each other if they are to play." (Pg. 34)

It is the same in the world of communication; a person simply cannot be a sender, without someone to be a receiver, therefore it is impossible for one person to receive the message without the other person sending the message.

According to the pragmatic perspective, "We cannot not communicate." If somebody promises to do something for you, and he/she fails to do that then their actions speak louder than their words to so speak. You then realize that that person does not want to have a healthy relationship.

The author says, "Communication resembles a game in that both result in interdependent outcomes, or payoffs." To further explain this, in a game of basketball for instance, the payoff is the thrill of winning or the agony of defeat. Communication has payoffs as well and they range in categories from: competitive or cooperative. Being mean to people or putting them down usually is a competitive communication that is not healthy, but getting to know somebody is a cooperative communication. A game can also be played as a team working together to achieve a goal, or when the communication s competitive, the game is usually filled with a group of individuals trying to get their name to shine.

It is also far different than a game, because of several important factors. The author says, "What happens outside the world o fthe game is never considered. Who the players are, where the game is played, and what other players are doing are all irrelevant questions." Most of us know that knowing the answers to these questions is very crucial in any type of game. Knowing the location and or who your opponents are will solve many problems before they happen.