May 23, 2012 Final Project
Interpersonal Communication

“A perfect way to communicate ideas, thoughts and aspiration is to create a vision and present the self within the vision”

We often take for granted our ability to communicate. We use various forms of verbal and non-verbal communication in nearly everything we do, and we generally give little thought to the process. Communication, however, is both an art and a science; and it requires our full attention and consideration if we are to use it skillfully.
One way of defining interpersonal communication is to compare it to other forms of communication. In so doing, we would examine how many people are involved, how physically close they are to one another, how many sensory channels are used, and the feedback provided. Interpersonal communication differs from other forms of communication in that there are few participants involved, the interactants are in close physical proximity to each other, there are many sensory channels used, and feedback is immediate. An important point to note about the contextual definition is that it does not take into account the relationship between the interactants.
Self- Concept is how you view yourself and self-image and is relatively a stable set of perception you hold of yourself. It also includes feelings and thoughts about your strengths, weaknesses, and is relatively at stable set of perceptions you hold of yourself. This develops other’s perception of you, social comparisons, cultural interactions and your own interpretations and experiences. Self-esteem is the evaluation of your self-worth and personality is the characteristic ways that you think and believe across a variety of situations.
There are five personality traits when it comes to self and they are; Extrovert versus introvert:
Extraversion is "the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self". Extraverts tend to enjoy human interactions and to be enthusiastic, talkative, assertive, and gregarious. They take pleasure in activities that involve large social gatherings, such as parties, community activities, public demonstrations, and business or political groups.
Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life". Some popular writers have characterized introverts as people whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during interaction. This is similar to Jung's view, although he focused on psychic energy rather than physical energy. Few modern conceptions make this distinction. The common modern perception is that introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in groups.
Open versus not open:
Open represents that part of yourself that you know and have revealed to the other person, as a relationship becomes more intimate.
Not open is information you know about yourself but have not shared with other person. This quadrant is fairly large initially; but as you self-disclose.
Conscientious versus undirected:
Conscientiousness describes socially prescribed impulse control that facilitates task and goal-directed behavior, such as thinking before acting, delaying gratification, following norms and rules, and planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks.
Agreeableness versus antagonism:
Agreeableness contrasts a pro-social and communal orientation toward others with antagonism and includes traits such as altruism, tender-mindedness, trust, and modesty. Agreeable individuals tend toward conformity in groups, toward modesty, toward not being demanding, and toward being sympathetic. These individuals might be motivated toward helping others and toward pro-social behavior in general.
Antagonism is the opposition in physiological action; especially: interaction of two or more substances such that the action of any one of them on living cells or tissues is lessened.
Neuroticism versus emotional stability:
Neuroticism contrasts emotional stability and even-temperedness with negative emotionality, such as feeling anxious, nervous, sad, and tense. It tends to be viewed negatively and is associated with negative effect, being tense and nervous. Keep in mind that neuroticism is only one trait that an individual has. A person could be neurotic and conscientious which may have negative health effects but may motivate an individual toward success in school and work situations.
Emotional stability refers to a person's ability to remain stable and balanced. At the other end of the scale, a person who is high in neuroticism has a tendency to easily experience negative emotions. A person who has a high level of emotional stability is preferred in most professions because they have more control over their emotions at work.
The five personalities listed and explained are a testament to the pretentious questions that surrounds self and answers questions that pertain to the development and ways of communicating the ideas, aspirations and vision of what that individual is trying to present. Does one understand the meaning of taking inventory of the self to know the self and where the self should be? This question initiates the conversation of reflective appraisal which is the fact each of us develops self-concept that reflects the way we believe others see us. (Charles Cosley) The characteristics of self-concept are subjective (obsolete information, distorted feedback, emphasis on perfection) or resists change (cognitive conservatism seeks out people who support our self-concept). We have many different relationships with people. Some researchers say that our definition of interpersonal communication must account for these differences. These researchers say that interacting with a sales clerk in a store is different than the relationship we have with our friends and family members. Thus, some researchers have proposed an alternative way of defining interpersonal communication. This is called the developmental view. From this view, interpersonal communication is defined as communication that occurs between people who have known each other for some time. Importantly, these people view each other as unique individuals, not as people who are simply acting out social situations
The fact is that the majority of the problems and conflicts we experience in our personal lives and at work stem from our failure to communicate effectively. Each of us lives in a very subjective world of individual perception. Every individual sees the world through a lens of subjectivity; and all input is filtered through that lens. In our interaction with others, we tend to assume that our words and actions are understood as we intended them. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work out that way. We misinterpret and are misunderstood, and don't often realize it until conflict arises.
The influences of perception are; physiological influence, cultural differences, social roles, and self-concept. With these influences presenting the self and be influence by many of these variables to create an outcome that can be the same as others, inferior, superior, or different that what one would be evaluated by. Tendencies to perception include; judging ourselves more favorably than others, paying too much attention to others negative characteristics and personalities, gravitating to first impressions, and assuming that others are similar to us.
The purpose of business is the creation of value. When we as individuals examine our lives, we realize that our individual purpose as human beings is also to create value. But how do you measure value? People and businesses all use different yardsticks, but one thing is certain: the creation of value involves interpersonal communication. If we increase our ability to communicate effectively, we increase our ability to create value. In the process, if we can develop a vision for community and teamwork in our work and in our personal lives, we can leverage our communication skills to create maximum value.
Ways of understanding the leveraging of interpersonal communication knows how identity management works and how it’s embedded in our everyday lives. Identity management involves two components which are; private self which is a reflection of self-concept and presenting self which is how we want others to see us as in our public image. This concept is of multiple identities, collaborative, deliberate, and can vary by situations.
A perfect way to communicate ideas, thoughts and aspiration is to create a vision and present the self within the vision. This statement has been taking apart to know the self and how the self can be presented in a way of several concepts, components and variations. Who are you is what one needs to know before presenting themselves in any capacity.