Intrapersonal Communication

 Intrapersonal communication can be defined as communication with one’s self, and that may include self-talk, acts of imagination and visualization, and even recall and memory (McLean, 2005). 

You read on your phone that your friends are going to have dinner at your favourite restaurant. What comes to mind? Sights, sounds, and scents? 

Something special that happened the last time you were there? 

Do you think of joining them? 

Do you start to work out a plan of getting from your present location to the restaurant? 

Do you send your friends a text asking if they want company? 

Until the moment when you hit the “send” button, you are communicating with yourself.

Communications expert Leonard Shedletsky examined intrapersonal communication through the eight basic components of the communication process (i.e., source, receiver, message, channel, feedback, environment, context, and interference) as transactional, but all the interaction occurs within the individual (Shedletsky, 1989).

From planning to problem solving, internal conflict resolution, and evaluations and judgments of self and others, we communicate with ourselves through intrapersonal communication.

All this interaction takes place in the mind without externalization, and all of it relies on previous interaction with the external world.

Here are seven benefits of a well-developed self-communication.

You Are Aware Of Your Strengths And Weaknesses

“Awareness is the beginning of all change.”  Karla Helbert, LPC, E-RYT, C-IAYT said. When you communicate with yourself, you become more aware of yourself. It includes identifying our strengths and weaknesses. By identifying these, you can adapt and adjust yourself to the different situations that you face. It is also essential to acknowledge them, most especially your weaknesses, as doing so can help with your self-development.

You Can Self-Motivate

Because you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you know what drives you to be productive and what will give you the energy to accomplish something. It is important to remember that motivation will always come from within you. Communicating with yourself will help you develop your self-motivation skills to help you reach your goals. You also know how to utilize what’s around you to help improve your mental state, such as getting motivation from social media.

You Learn To Be Independent

Being aware of yourself will teach you that you don’t always have to rely on others. You are aware that you are a strong-minded individual who can accomplish many things. However, you should also be conscious that you cannot do everything and that seeking help is sometimes the best solution. Self-communication aids you in identifying the times when you can do it by yourself or when you need help.

You Develop Better Focus

Self-communication and self-motivation will help you develop a better focus. You become aware of the things that cause you distraction, and you avoid them by all means. With deeper concentration, you can center on the task at hand and achieve them. It will help you become more productive with your time. “Look at negative thoughts like reruns of a TV show you’ve seen a million times. Let them play in the background while you shift your focus to something else,” explains Jo Eckler, PsyD, a therapist.

Those were some of the powers of self-communication. By developing your intrapersonal skills, you can become a more responsible and mature human being. But when we talk about power, we talk about how to create and destroy. When there is the right side, there is always the wrong side. It is also applicable to self-communication. It also has some adverse effects that may affect the way you live. Some of these negative benefits include the following:

Arrogance

There is always a thin line between arrogance and confidence. When crossed, it may considerably influence the way you live and how people perceive you.

Introversion

On the other hand, being so good at self-communication may lead you to neglect the importance of social interaction. We are social beings, after all. Disregarding your social life may hinder your growth.

Overthinking

When you always have thoughts in your mind, you may tend to overanalyze things and obsessively think of the outcomes. It may lead you to become anxious, as well.

In a nutshell, there are pros and cons to self-communication. The choice and power are yours on what tactics you will practice to avoid the counteractive effects of self-communication and practice it in a way that will best benefit you and your environment.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Merits of Intrapersonal Communication

Self-awareness

It allows the person to be aware of every aspect of their own personality. Through introspection, the person becomes aware of the qualities that help shape his personality which in turn makes him aware of his motivations, aspirations, and expectations from the world. If one’s understanding of self is absolute, it would help in easily communicating his wants and needs to others.

Self-confidence

A self-aware state makes one secure and increases confidence.

Self-management

The fact that one is conscious of the indwelling strengths and shortcomings, it equips him to manage his daily affairs efficiently using his strengths to the maximum which in turn compensates for his weaknesses.

Self-motivation

The absolute knowledge of what one wants out of life will enable the person to strive to achieve those aims and goal while continuously motivating themselves.

Focused

The qualities of self-motivation and self-management will help develop deeper concentration and direct his focus towards the task at hand.

Independence

Self-awareness allows the person to be independent.

Adaptability

The person is highly adaptable to his surroundings as the knowledge of his own qualities allows him to confidently and calmly take decisions and change his approach accordingly in response to situational stimuli.

Demerits of Intrapersonal Communication

Introverted

Since the person prefers working alone, he is perceived as shy or anti-social by others.

Wrong assumptions

Since there is absence of a feedback, that is, the conversation is in a one-way flow, it could lead to the development of misconceptions and faulty assumptions.

Incorrect decisions

Prejudices formed based on wrong assumptions made by an individual could lead to incorrect choices or decisions.

Categorical thinking

There is a possibility of an individual categorizing and viewing certain individuals or events with a biased opinion causing one’s thought pattern to be one-tracked and lopsided.

Over-thinking

Over analysis of situations and prolonged thinking about them will lead to the imagination of unrealistic and unnecessary scenarios, and in extreme cases, may even lead to self-doubt.

Arrogance

Due to an independent nature and specific approach towards an issue, one may be incorrectly perceived as being arrogant. This is further reinforced by one’s tendency to pay attention to every minute detail.

In conclusion, to overcome the disadvantages of intrapersonal communication, it is vital to be aware of one’s own surroundings as well. Also, the development of interpersonal communication in addition, could help in overcoming demerits.


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