Summarizing and Paraprasing by Reading A Theory by Reading As A Psycho-Social Process ... Etc
Summarizing and Paraprasing by Reading A Theory by Reading As A Psycho-Social Process ... Etc
Paraphrased material
is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of
the source and condensing it slightly. Summarizing involves putting the main
idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s)
Paraphrasing and summarizing are very similar. Both involve taking ideas, words or
phrases from a source and crafting them into new sentences within your writing. In
addition, summarizing includes condensing the source material into just a few lines.
Whether paraphrasing or summarizing, credit is always given to the author.
Below is a passage taken from Raymond S. Nickerson's "How We Know-and Sometimes
Misjudge-What Others Know: Imputing One's Own Knowledge to Others." Psychological
Bulletin 125.6 (1999): p737.
In order to communicate effectively with other people, one must have a reasonably
accurate idea of what they do and do not know that is pertinent to the communication.
Treating people as though they have knowledge that they do not have can result in
miscommunication and perhaps embarrassment. On the other hand, a fundamental rule
of conversation, at least according to a Gricean view, is that one generally does not
convey to others information that one can assume they already have.
Here is an example of what would be considered plagiarism of this passage:
For effective communication, it is necessary to have a fairly accurate idea of what our
listerners know or do not know that is pertinent to the communication. If we assume that
people know something they do not, then miscommunication and perhaps
embarrassment may result (Nickerson, 1999).
The writer in this example has used too many of Nickerson's original words and phrases
such as "effective communication," "accurate idea," "know or do not know," "pertinent,"
"miscommunication," and "embarrassment." Also note that the passage doesn't have an
opening tag to indicate where use of the Nickerson's material begins. A citation at the end
of a paragraph is not sufficent to indicate what is being credited to Nickerson.
Here is an example, in APA style, that is considered acceptable paraphrasing of this
passage:
Nickerson (1999) suggests that effective communication depends on a generally accurate
knowledge of what the audience knows. If a speaker assumes too much knowledge about
the subject, the audience will either misunderstand or be bewildered; however, assuming
too little knowledge among those in the audience may cause them to feel patronized
(p.737).
Here the writer re-words Nickerson's idea about what determines effective
communication. The writer re-phrases "generally accurate knowledge" into "reasonably
accurate idea." In the second sentence, the writer re-words Nickerson's ideas about
miscommunication and embarrassment using instead the words "misunderstand,"
"bewildered," and "patronized." Nickerson is given credit from the beginning as the
originator of the ideas. This is an example of a successful paraphrase because the writer
understands the ideas espoused by Nickerson, and is able to put them into her own words
while being careful to give him credit.
Here is an example, in APA style, that would be considered acceptable summarizing of
this passage:
Nickerson (1999) argues that clear communication hinges upon what an audience does
and does not know. It is crucial to assume the audience has neither too much nor too
little knowledge of the subject, or the communication may be inhibited by either
confusion or offense (p. 737).
Notice that the writer both paraphrases Nickerson's ideas about effective communication
and compresses them into two sentences. Like paraphrasing, summarizing passages is a
tricky endeavor and takes lots of practice. If you're ever in doubt about whether your
summary or paraphrase might be accidental plagiarism, ask your teacher.
Paraphrasing is when you put the ideas of another author into your own words. To avoid
plagiarism when paraphrasing, it is essential that you do not include too many words
from the original text.
Summarizing is when you use your own words to draw out the key points or main
arguments of the original text, significantly reducing its length.
Paraphrasing and summarizing are important skills in academic writing. They enable you
to:
Original: Giraffes like Acacia leaves and hay and they can consume 75 pounds of food
a day.
Paraphrase: A giraffe can eat up to 75 pounds of Acacia leaves and hay everyday.
Original: Any trip to Italy should include a visit to Tuscany to sample their exquisite
wines.
Paraphrase: Be sure to include a Tuscan wine-tasting experience when visiting Italy.
Paraphrasing Paragraphs
Here is an example of paraphrasing of a longer passage taken from the Duke website.
Original Passage:
In The Sopranos, the mob is besieged as much by inner infidelity as it is by the federal
government. Early in the series, the greatest threat to Tony's Family is his own biological
family. One of his closest associates turns witness for the FBI, his mother colludes with
his uncle to contract a hit on Tony, and his kids click through Web sites that track the
federal crackdown in Tony's gangland.
Paraphrased Passage:
In the first season of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano’s mobster activities are more
threatened by members of his biological family than by agents of the federal government.
This familial betrayal is multi-pronged. Tony’s closest friend and associate is an FBI
informant, his mother and uncle are conspiring to have him killed, and his children are
surfing the Web for information about his activities.
The main point of this passage is that problems within the family are as bad as or even
worse than problems caused by the federal government. Details about this betrayal
include one family member turning informant, a hit being put out on Tony by family
members, and Tony’s kids tracking his activities.
Here is a summary of some of the changes made during the paraphrasing process:
Early in the series = first season
More threatened = greatest threat
Closest friend and associate = one family member
His mother colludes with his uncle = his mother and uncle are conspiring
His kids click through Web sites = his children are surfing the Web
Avoiding Plagiarism
There is a fine line between plagiarism and paraphrasing. If the wording of the paraphrase
is too close to the wording of the original content, then it is plagiarism. The main ideas
need to come through, but the wording has to be your own.
To use another person’s writing in your own can be accomplished with quotes and
citations. A quote will need to be the exact wording and the author and source will need
to be identified.
Paraphrasing usually makes the passage shorter than the original. Another option is to
use a summary that is much shorter than the original and is an overview of the main
points.
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-
paraphrasing.html#Pb2sgLScezDv7JpE.99
http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm
https://www.slideshare.net/simplytrue005/reading-as-a-psychosocial-process1
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Reading-Process-929313.html
Well a quick google of "psychosocial" gives you a definition of the concept that I feel
answers your question almost completely.
Psychosocial: "of or relating to the interrelation of social factors and individual thought
and behavior."
If you are reading something... someone wrote it. Those words came from another
persons mind. Even if the content they are writing about wasn't invented by them, the
way they choose to convey it is their own. You are seeing a piece of the world through
their mind by reading their worlds and by default relating to their thoughts and
behaviors.
Maybe this is just me but I feel like you can tell a lot about someone by the way they write
if you get a large enough sample of their writing.
Psychosocial
The psychosocial approach looks at individuals in the context of the combined influence
that psychological factors and the surrounding social environment have on their physical
and mental wellness and their ability to function. This approach is used in a broad range
of helping professions in health and social care settings as well as by medical and social
science researchers.[1]
People may not be fully aware of the relationship between their mental and emotional
wellbeing and the environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik
Erikson in his description of the stages of psychosocial development. Mary Richmond,
pioneer of American social work regarded there to be a linear relationship between cause
and effect in a diagnostic process. In 1941 Gordon Hamilton renamed the 1917 concept
of "social diagnosis" as "psychosocial study". Psychosocial study was further developed
by Hollis in 1964 with emphasis in treatment model. It is contrasted with diverse social
psychology, which attempts to explain social patterns within the individual. Problems
that occur in one's psychosocial functioning can be referred to as "psychosocial
dysfunction" or "psychosocial morbidity." This refers to the lack of development or
diverse atrophy of the psychosocial self, often occurring alongside other dysfunctions
that may be physical, emotional, or cognitive in nature.
Scholarly societies in this field brings together researchers, academics and practitioners
who are interested in contributing to the development of this inter/trans-disciplinary
field of study. There are organisation's such as Transcultural Psychosocial Organization
(United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Association for Psychosocial Studies,
etc.
psy·cho·so·cial
adjective
1. relating to the interrelation of social factors and individual thought and behavior.
psychosocial
Definition of psychosocial
1: involving both psychological and social aspects psychosocial adjustment in marriage
2: relating social conditions to mental health psychosocial medicine
psychosocially