Intrapersonal Communication
Self, perception and communication
Self-sabotage or self-fulfillment “You are what you think”; thoughts are the seeds of actions. The true sabotage lies within communication with oneself, in thoughts and in words Intra personal communication is the communication is the communication you have with yourself about yourself and others. (Perkins, page 2-3)
“Who am I?” We are a complex person. Difficult to answer accurately or completely. Our life begins and we started to learn who we are, through our interactions with the people around us. Most of us has a constant image of ourselves. The image of ourselves also varies with different situation.
Our interactions How others treat us affect how we view ourselves. Also we can “hide” some parts of ourselves or features to prevent rejection.
Intrapersonal communication Communication with oneself is the basis of all other communication experiences. We “create” our own “movie of life” Thoughts and words are the tools of creation of our “movie of life”. “Labels” about life comes from inside us.
Understanding self-concept Our self concept or self identity is our perceived self, which consists of an organised collection of beliefs and attitudes about self. Who we perceive ourselves to be is determined by our experiences and communication with others. This include the roles and values we have selected for ourselves, and how we believe others see us.
Understanding self concept Self concept consists of 2 subcomponents, closely related: Self image The mental picture of self 2. Self-esteem Our feelings and attitudes towards ourselves including our evaluation of ourselves
Dive into your life: How clean is your lake ? (Perkins, 2008, page 6)
Self-concept as a process Communication is a dynamic process and so is our self-concept. Self perception and the perception of others have of us differ from time to time, from situation to situation and from person to person
An exercise: “Who am I?” Ask yourself this question. Answer on a piece of paper. Write as much as possible Share with the class
Was it a difficult question?
Self-concept is complex because…. Self concept is affected by: How we perceive ourselves How we perceive others How others perceive us How we think others perceive Influenced by our values, attitudes and beliefs etc {culture and gender}
Kinch Model : Self-concept and Communication Perception of others’ responses(P) Self-concept (S) Behaviour (B) Actual responses of others (A)
Self-concept and communication The perception we believe others have on us affect our communication. Our view of ourselves influences how we communicate with others. Communication and self concept are inseparable and both involve process. Consider the personal-social identity continuum
Self-fulfilling prophecy What we expect of ourselves and then making it happens is called “self-fulfilling prophecy” Self-fulfilling prophecy is powerful in shaping our self-concepts.
Understanding the self and others
Impression Management The way people perceive us strongly influence their behaviour toward us and thus influence communication. The desire to “look good” to others at first meeting is very strong. The creation of positive image of oneself to influence others is referred to as impression management ( self-presentation)
Culture, gender and self-concept Does culture and gender influence our self-concept?
References: Seiler, W. J and Beall, M. L ( 2008). Communication. Making Connections ( 7th ed). Boston: Pearson Perkins,P. S ( 2008). The Art and Science of Communication. Tools for Effective Communication in the Work Place. New Jersey: Wiley. Hybels, S., and Weaver II, R. L ( 2004). Communcating Effectively ( 7th ed). Boston: Mc Graw Hill Verdeber, R. F. and Verderber, K.S ( 2005).Communicate( 11th ed). CA: Thomson/Wadsworth