Listening: A Case Study In Self-Actualization

Social interactions are mastered throughout a lifetime and involve many factors and skills that one may acquire at different times during one's life. One skill that is often underestimated, especially in American culture, is listening. Cultures such as those of Native Americans often place more importance on listening than does mainstream America (). Nonetheless, whatever popular culture believes about the relative importance of listening versus talking, listening remains a crucial skill to social effectiveness that manifests itself in surprising ways.

Beyond the traditional interpretation of listening as one person paying attention to the words of another, listening also occurs when one is expressing ideas to oneself, reading, watching television, or simplx observing events. The concept of listening reaches beyond interactions with another individual to encompass our relationship with ourselves, our creator, and our existence as growing beings influenced by the sum total of our experiences. This broader conception of listening, which is prominent in Native American culture as well as in many religions, lifts the art of listening to new heights and argues that we place more priority on honing our listening skills with the goal of growing and advancing as human beings.

The following case study traces a journey through the act of listening, highlighting the ways listening affects, connects, and builds a universal framework of shared

. . .
at. But eventually, maybe soon, you are going to have to read publicity scripts. I'm not saying this to be critical. That radio interview you gave last month was great. It just never hurts to get more training.ö ôOkay.ö The way Sara said it, Gina could tell she meant, ôOkay, I'm closing my ears.ö That evening, Gina poured her thoughts about their conversation into an email to Sara: àI can't help feeling hurt by your comments, and more than that by the competitiveness I've been sensing over the past weeks. It's as if you don't trust me, even though I've poured my heart and soul into everything we've done together. I recommended speaking and acting lessons because I've done them myself. I would only suggest you do things that I believe, from my twenty years of sales training and experience, would greatly benefit what we're doing together. Reading it that night, Sara felt her heart soften. Gina's words were so candid and vulnerable. Sara thought, Gina truly believes in me. And deep in her subconscious, in a place she kept guarded from even herself, she thought, Gina loves me. That weekend, while at the library researching other diet companies, Sara came upon a college textbook left open on a counter where she had temporarily se
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gina Sara, Sara Sara, Sara Gina, We'll Hey, Nancy Kline, Sara I'm, Didn't Sara, America Nonetheless, Plus I've, Native American, gina sara, sara gina, real estate, college edition march, retrieved infotrac college, march 25 2005, college edition, retrieved infotrac, infotrac college, march 25, edition march, 25 2005, infotrac college edition, edition march 25, business world,
Approximate Word count = 2865
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Listening: A Case Study In Self-Actualization