Final Paper Draft

COM200: Interpersonal Communication

l. Introduction and Thesis statement – 1 paragraph

Have you ever had a problem communicating information to your coworkers, friends and family members? I can imagine the trouble of having the difficulty getting your point across in a correct but honest way without showing disrespect or aggressiveness. Portraying practical interpersonal communication efforts without the barriers of apprehension, self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem can be the essential tools you need to be a professional communicator and gain respect and trust.

Explain the principles of and barriers to competent/effective interpersonal communications.

Bevan and Sole (2014) lists two critical principles for effective communication as “taking responsibility and respecting yourself and others.” When these principles are neglected, barriers, such as irresponsibility and disrespect, can arise that will limit effective response and allow negative retaliation. Taking responsibility in Interpersonal communication is a process where it is vital to require a plan of knowing what is needed and what is essential. Having a purpose and utilizing the time it takes to achieve that mission guides the decision-making process and can allow prioritizing a critical and vital issue.

A great way to assist a win-win situation is to have universal acceptance and respect for the

feelings of each other. This can be accomplished by listening, as defined by Bevan & Sole, “

Listen and evaluate the other person’s statements before responding” (2014, section 1.4, para. 3).

Respecting the communication between parties by first listening and clearly understanding the

nature and purpose of the question or comment means you must listen. Sometimes the simplest

way to be clear of picking up the correct information is to return verbally what the receiver stated

to you. This can assure both parties that the line of communication is clear and rid the

conversation of confusing barriers that limit growth. An example is a conversation between

church members and the First Lady of the church about how much food is required at an

anniversary church dinner. In the pre-anniversary meeting, the first lady suggested that the

servers were not necessary to bring a dish to the feast, but that all attendees of the church

taking part in the services must bring a dish. Even though the members privately disagreed on

who was to bring what, they all left the decision to the First Lady of the Church. When the day of

the dinner came, there was only enough food for the guests, and the servers could not eat after

serving food to the members.

When looking back, the First Lady realized that she did not view the number of attendees or

ask for help to calculate the amount of food needed during the preparations. Servers were not

given a dinner elsewhere, nor were they given an apology toward the shortage of food and

several hungry participants not able to eat at the church dinner. The barrier here would be the

lack of merely conveying a message to clarify the instructions given. It is truly the fault of the

First Lady not being responsible for professionally organizing preparations to assure everyone

would be accommodated.

The importance of effective communication is respecting each other and taking responsibility

for one’s actions. These interactions are fundamental in our interpersonal relationships and

beneficial in our career obligations. Overcoming the barriers of subjection and disrespect that can

affect our relationships can lead us in acknowledging and acceptance of personal and academic

Commitments. If the pre-anniversary meeting was handled responsibility and members behavior

more open and respectful, the intentions of the pre-anniversary celebration would have turned

out in a satisfying manner (Bevan and Sole, 2014).

lll. Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem. – at least three paragraphs.

My interpersonal behavior resulted in the responses I received from the people I am around. (Bevan,

J., & Sole, K. (2014). Because of the communication I received, I respond to others in the same manner.

Wanting to cause a reaction from the person I am focused on; it was essential to do what was

necessary to achieve the acquired attention. Influencing the way people saw or reacted to me taught me to

appreciate and grow psychologically. I no longer compare myself to others around me but go after what I

want on my own. So, the way I give out information, the way I receive the data, and the people who I am

exposed to mediate the communication are how I relate psychology and communication.

Self-concept is the ideas a person opinionates, assesses, or perceive about themselves. When

relating self- concept to interpersonal communication it means the way I look at myself, my likes

and dislikes and the way I am affected by what people say about me. When relating self-concept

to intrapersonal communication it means the way I internally communicate with myself; either

by sending verbal or written information to myself by a form of vocal or mental expression.

Bevan and Sole (2014) also shared that the image we have at one time is not permanently

fixed, this means it changes as you change or your environment/situation changes. Self-Image

is the way I see myself generally. It means the way I look and the way I see my physical

appearance, my weight, etc., either on a positive or negative level. When relating self-

Image to interpersonal communication expresses the way I look at the color of my skin or how

tall or short I am. In this manner, I can approve or reject the way I perceive myself from the

outside. Relating self-image to intrapersonal communication means the way I communicate with

the body, mind, and spirit within my subconscious.

Self-esteem is the level of satisfaction and self-worth a person has with themselves. When

relating self-esteem to interpersonal communication, is what I think about myself around others.

Relating self-esteem to intrapersonal communication means trying to prove self-worth by

focusing on themselves, causing relationships to suffer (Park, Crocker, & Vohs, 2006). Bevan

and Sole (2014) explained that self-esteem is important because how you see yourself can also

affect your well-being, physically, mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually. I understand this to

mean that the more I try to prove myself to others, the more I become what they want me to

be and not who I truly am. I learned long ago that my words define who I am. How I see myself,

understand and express myself all goes into who I am. My self-concept reflects past and present

relationships. My self-image is the character or traits that I possess from my upbringing. My

self-esteem is my internal evaluation of myself of what is worthwhile or valuable about myself.

Because I believed that I was too old to go back to school, negativity stuck with that mindset

, and I got further behind trying to pursue my goal of achieving my BA in Psychology. I had to

change the things about myself that kept me limited. I realized that I don’t need validation from

others to go for what I want. And I need to love and accept myself as I am, not what others want

me to be. Building up my self-esteem gives me affirmation that I am unique and privileged to be

able to go after what’s important to me.

What do experts say is the relationship between communication and psychology?

My behavior resulted in the responses I received from the people I am around. Because of

the communication I received, I respond to others in the same manner. Bevan & Sole

states “when we communicate with others, our view of the world, who we are as individuals,

influence the interpersonal interactions.” (Bevan & Sole, 2014). Psychologically, we perceive the

world differently through the person we are the self. Philosophers have focused on those

qualities that make us different and unique and concluded that our emotional intelligence

accelerates our interpersonal communication process to improve us physically and

psychologically.

Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure (and emotional intelligence – optional) in various relationships – Use at least 3 paragraphs. We understand that you have not read the section on emotional intelligence yet. So, covering this topic is optional. However, you will have to cover this for the final paper. Therefore, you might want to read ahead and address that theme here to get feedback on your understanding.

It is always a good idea to define critical terms. So, what is self-disclosure? What levels of self-disclosure are necessary for your audience (either a group of co-workers or a couple)?

Self-disclosure is an essential feature of interpersonal communication because it helps

us to engage in proper discussions because both parties know enough about each

other to be able to express themselves on familiar topics. When we release information

about ourselves, we open ourselves to judgment by coworkers, friends, and family. I would

think letting a little of yourself be exposed is okay if you do not become too personal where

those around you may suspect that you want pity.

When we differentiate, we realize that there are prospects that make a person or

persons distinct. That contrast can limit the conversation between parties because of the

emotional effects it could deviate. When we differentiate, we show a separation in

similarities of traits or characteristics with culture, gender, and nationality. An example

would be the separation of Mexican workers as laborers and Asian workers as Merchants.

When Bevan and Sole speak about proper communication, they detail the

respect a communicator should have in consideration of the other person’s expectations.

This can bring about trust, respect and assurance that the behavior displayed will be

positive and express commitment, love and emotional support.

If you are ambitious, go ahead and define emotional intelligence as well.

Bevan and Sole define emotional intelligence as “the ability to monitor, regulate, and

discriminate among one’s own and one’s partners feelings to guide one’s thoughts

and actions (2014). Clarified, this means when we can recognize and discern

between our emotions and the emotions of others, intelligently, then we can label them

appropriately using emotional communication strategies to manage and achieve

understanding. I am a little unclear how to use an example here so I will not comment

further.

Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. – Use at least 3 paragraphs.

Gender and culture are essential contributors to how humans interact. Culture is defined

as the way we do things (Bevan and sole, 2014). The way we present ourselves to others in

our manner, values, customs, traditions, language, and beliefs express our culture. Our

gender orientation defines our identity, which is based on a combination of social, cultural,

and personal factors. Through our interpersonal relationship with each other, we learn to

better understand the position that communication plays in the gender and cultural

processed by appreciating the experiences of the lifestyles each face. Overcoming

Ethnocentrism (when one culture believes it is superior to another) we can avoid

emotionally jealousy and better understand the other person’s rapport. Doing so provides

satisfactory relationships and improved interpersonal communication responsibility and

growth. We learn acceptance, respect, and appreciation in our associations with cultural as

well as gender competence.

When we communicate with others about gender or cultural communication, whether it

be on a personal or social level, we need first to show respect and consideration in the way

We approach them. To communicate better with someone whose cultural background or

gender preference is different from ours or our beliefs, we need to show interpersonal

communication competence by showing consideration, respect and understanding.

Applying a clearer understanding of what culture is, we must also differentiate

what gender versus sex is. When we took the gender/identity test, I realized that I had

more male traits than female traits. By that I realized, my control, dominance,

and forward attitude was fashion from the male perspective. With this

idea in mind, began to put into consideration what it means to measure and understand

gender/ sex. Gender refers to the two sexes, female and male and is used across cultures.

In speaking, sex and gender are interchangeable. It can refer to either social roles based on

the sex of the person, and also be used for personal identification as a “biological aspect.

Consider both the ways we think (how we form our values and beliefs), the ways we talk,

and nonverbal communication including proxemics and haptics. (At least 4 sentences)

Proxemics is explained as the branch of knowledge that is associated with the amount of

space that is necessary to set between two people in conversation. With the meaning of haptics: it

means the nonverbal way that people and animals communicate and react to each other by the

sense of touch. Haptics and proxemics is a form of non-verbal communication. Edward T Hall,

(1963) is an anthropologist who defines proxemics as “the interrelated observations and theories

of human use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture.” Learning about proxemics is

valuable in evaluating the way we all interact with others in daily life and in the organization of

space. Because it is an intricate component of Interpersonal communication, we need to

thoroughly observe and pay attention to it on a cultural level.

Conclusion – Thesis statement revisited with highlights of your key points. Avoid introducing new themes and merely copying and pasting your introduction. (1 Paragraph) Learning the different ways and strategies for effective communication is critical in the world of interpersonal communication. When we go through surveys, observations and responses to oral questions, keep in mind the way and proxemics of your conversation. Some cultures identify with touchable communications and some that do not. Educating ourselves by learning, experimenting, and associating with cultural and gender people helps us to find and appropriate the characteristics, values, traits, and formalities that come with better understanding them. When we shoe confidence in our rapport toward those who are settling in our country, prejudice, jealousy, and disrespect can only show our ignorance. Learning and expressing practical interpersonal communication efforts without the barriers of apprehension, self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem can be the essential tools you need to be a professional communicator and gain respect and trust.

Sample References

Bevan, J. L., & Sole, K. (2014). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Hall, E. T. (1959). The silent language. Garden City NY: Doubleday. chap 7, p.377–398