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