Communications Theory Application

Have you ever wondered if there was a devil side and an angel side to your

personality? The devil side is telling you to be bad and have fun, while the angel side is telling you to be good and do what is right. This idea has to do with the I and ME theory of communications. The ME is like the angel side of your personality, telling you what is right and socially acceptable. The I is like the devil side, telling you to be creative and forget about the rules. The I and ME theory of communications helps us understand why we interact the way we do with other people.

The theory I chose is within symbolic interactionism, called the I and ME theory. "In analyzing the self Mead was fascinated by the fact that humans have the distinctive ability to be both the subjects and the objects of their experience. Mead referred to the part of the self that is an acting subject as the I"(Wood 91). The I is creative, impulsive, uses immoral behavior, and doesn't think about the rules. The ME is evaluative and reminds you what is right and what is wrong. "Mead saw the I and the ME as complementary, not as opposing, parts of the self. When the two parts work together, the ME edits and channels the I's creativity in socially acceptable ways"(Wood 92).

The article, "Dress-related responses to the Columbine shootings: other-imposed and self-designed" talks about the shootings at Columbine High School. It says, "Theories of identity, social power, and symbolic interaction guided the authors' work"(Ogle,Eckman 155). The article also talks about two major dress-related responses. "One was other-imposed regulation at protecting students and deterring them from expressing hatred against others. The second one was self-designed/selected creative acts of resistance for grieving, memorializing, and unifying"(Ogle,Eckman 155). In this situation, it seems that the I took over the ME. The I over powered the ME, therefore there was nothing holding the boys back from completing the shooting. The ME was unable to edit and channel the I's creativity and criminal act into a socially acceptable way. The I and ME theory is in between scientific and humanistic. It fits some of the criteria for both. The I and ME theory is applied during everyday conversations. "As we interact with others, we come to understand the meanings they attach to situations, behaviors, people, ideas, values and so forth. We then import, or take inside ourselves, the perspective of others, which become our own perspectives on the world"(Wood 92).

The I and ME theory is demonstrated in an episode of the television show, "Full House". The episode is called, "The Devil Made Me Do It". There are a couple of scenes through out the episode when Michelle's angel side and devilish side come to real life. In one of the scenes, Michelle is downstairs in Uncle Jesse's recording studio deciding whether or not she should play with the equipment. The two sides come to real life, and the angel side says to her, "I am the good Michelle, I tell you the right thing to do." The devilish side then says, "Don't listen to her! She's a wimp! I am the bad Michelle." The angel/good Michelle is the ME and the devilish/bad Michelle is the I. The bad Michelle then tells her to break the rules and play with Uncle Jesse's recording equipment because she will only get in trouble if she gets caught. The I of Michelle is being spontaneous and telling her to use behavior that is not accepted in the Tanner residents. The ME of Michelle is being evaluative and aware of the rules and expectations. Michelle listens to the bad Michelle and plays with the equipment and ends up getting caught by Uncle Jesse.

Another scene in the episode is when Michelle is in "time out" in her bedroom. The good Michelle says to her, "I hope you learned your lesson!" The bad Michelle says, "Do you want to make Uncle Jesse sorry for tattling on you? Run away from home!" Michelle starts packing her stuff in a suitcase, when the good Michelle reminds her to be a good girl and that it is a very big mistake. Michelle once again listens to the bad Michelle and runs away from home. The I of Michelle is telling her to forget about the rules and go out and have fun. The ME of Michelle is constantly reminding her to be a good girl and to follow the rules.

The last scene is when Michelle is sitting at the table in her room because she is being punished again for doing the wrong thing. The bad Michelle shows up telling her she has another "good" idea. Michelle replies, "I do not want to hear it! Get out of here!" The good Michelle then shows up and tells her she is very proud of her. She also says, "Michelle, remember to always do the right thing." This scene shows the I and ME of Michelle finally