{"id":198,"date":"2019-01-16T00:15:23","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T00:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-oneonta-communication\/chapter\/6-1-principles-of-interpersonal-communication\/"},"modified":"2019-01-16T00:15:23","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T00:15:23","slug":"6-1-principles-of-interpersonal-communication","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-oneonta-communication\/chapter\/6-1-principles-of-interpersonal-communication\/","title":{"raw":"6.1 Principles of Interpersonal Communication","rendered":"6.1 Principles of Interpersonal Communication"},"content":{"raw":"\n
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Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n
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  1. Define interpersonal communication.<\/li>\n
  2. Discuss the functional aspects of interpersonal communication.<\/li>\n
  3. Discuss the cultural aspects of interpersonal communication.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    In order to understand interpersonal communication, we must understand how interpersonal communication functions to meet our needs and goals and how our interpersonal communication connects to larger social and cultural systems. Interpersonal communication<\/a><\/span> is the process of exchanging messages between people whose lives mutually influence one another in unique ways in relation to social and cultural norms. This definition highlights the fact that interpersonal communication involves two or more people who are interdependent to some degree and who build a unique bond based on the larger social and cultural contexts to which they belong. So a brief exchange with a grocery store clerk who you don\u2019t know wouldn\u2019t be considered interpersonal communication, because you and the clerk are not influencing each other in significant ways. Obviously, if the clerk were a friend, family member, coworker, or romantic partner, the communication would fall into the interpersonal category. In this section, we discuss the importance of studying interpersonal communication and explore its functional and cultural aspects.<\/p>\n

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    Why Study Interpersonal Communication?<\/h2>\n

    Interpersonal communication has many implications for us in the real world. Did you know that interpersonal communication played an important role in human evolution? Early humans who lived in groups, rather than alone, were more likely to survive, which meant that those with the capability to develop interpersonal bonds were more likely to pass these traits on to the next generation (Leary, 2001). Did you know that interpersonal skills have a measurable impact on psychological and physical health? People with higher levels of interpersonal communication skills are better able to adapt to stress, have greater satisfaction in relationships and more friends, and have less depression and anxiety (Hargie, 2011). In fact, prolonged isolation has been shown to severely damage a human (Williams & Zadro, 2001). Have you ever heard of the boy or girl who was raised by wolves? There have been documented cases of abandoned or neglected children, sometimes referred to as feral children, who survived using their animalistic instincts but suffered psychological and physical trauma as a result of their isolation (Candland, 1995). There are also examples of solitary confinement, which has become an ethical issue in many countries. In \u201csupermax\u201d prisons, which now operate in at least forty-four states, prisoners spend 22.5 to 24 hours a day in their cells and have no contact with the outside world or other prisoners (Shalev, 2011).<\/p>\n

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    \n \"6-1-0n\"<\/a>\n

    Solitary confinement is common in supermax prisons, where prisoners spend 22.5 to 24 hours a day in their cells.<\/p>\n

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    Jmiller291 - Solitary Confinement, Old Geelong Gaol 7<\/a> - CC BY 2.0.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Aside from making your relationships and health better, interpersonal communication skills are highly sought after by potential employers, consistently ranking in the top ten in national surveys (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2010). Each of these examples illustrates how interpersonal communication meets our basic needs as humans for security in our social bonds, health, and careers. But we are not born with all the interpersonal communication skills we\u2019ll need in life. So in order to make the most out of our interpersonal relationships, we must learn some basic principles.<\/p>\n

    Think about a time when a short communication exchange affected a relationship almost immediately. Did you mean for it to happen? Many times we engage in interpersonal communication to fulfill certain goals we may have, but sometimes we are more successful than others. This is because interpersonal communication is strategic, meaning we intentionally create messages to achieve certain goals that help us function in society and our relationships. Goals vary based on the situation and the communicators, but ask yourself if you are generally successful at achieving the goals with which you enter a conversation or not. If so, you may already possess a high degree of interpersonal communication competence<\/a><\/span>, or the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in personal relationships. This chapter will help you understand some key processes that can make us more effective and appropriate communicators. You may be asking, \u201cAren\u2019t effectiveness and appropriateness the same thing?\u201d The answer is no. Imagine that you are the manager of a small department of employees at a marketing agency where you often have to work on deadlines. As a deadline approaches, you worry about your team\u2019s ability to work without your supervision to complete the tasks, so you interrupt everyone\u2019s work and assign them all individual tasks and give them a bulleted list of each subtask with a deadline to turn each part in to you. You meet the deadline and have effectively accomplished your goal. Over the next month, one of your employees puts in her two-weeks\u2019 notice, and you learn that she and a few others have been talking about how they struggle to work with you as a manager. Although your strategy was effective, many people do not respond well to strict hierarchy or micromanaging and may have deemed your communication inappropriate. A more competent communicator could have implemented the same detailed plan to accomplish the task in a manner that included feedback, making the employees feel more included and heard. In order to be competent interpersonal communicators, we must learn to balance being effective and appropriate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Functional Aspects of Interpersonal Communication<\/h2>\n

    We have different needs that are met through our various relationships. Whether we are aware of it or not, we often ask ourselves, \u201cWhat can this relationship do for me?\u201d In order to understand how relationships achieve strategic functions, we will look at instrumental goals, relationship-maintenance goals, and self-presentation goals.<\/p>\n

    What motivates you to communicate with someone? We frequently engage in communication designed to achieve instrumental goals such as gaining compliance (getting someone to do something for us), getting information we need, or asking for support (Burleson, Metts, & Kirch, 2000). In short, instrumental talk helps us \u201cget things done\u201d in our relationships. Our instrumental goals can be long term or day to day. The following are examples of communicating for instrumental goals:<\/p>\n