Intrapersonal Communication

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 “Whether you
think you can or
think you
can’t, you are
right.”
- Henry Ford-
Analyze yourself as a communicator

• Intrapersonal communication
• Perceptions
• Self concepts
• Needs
• Communication with others
 OBJECTIVES

• Reflect upon the values or

significance of self-introspection;
• Establish the connection
between self-concept and
intrapersonal communication;
and
• Arrive at a keener understanding
of one’s self-communication
prior to acquiring interpersonal
communication skills
Intrapersonal communication
• Communicating with
oneself
• Thinking
• Self-talk
• In one word describe
yourself.
• In three words describe
yourself.
• In ten words describe
yourself.
• Was one word hard?
Yes, because we’re
complex people.
1. “How do I see myself?”
2. “Do I like or not what I see?”
3. “How do I wish to see myself?” “How do I
present myself to others?”
4. “Who do others say I am?” “What do I imagine
others say about me?”
5. “How does this affect me?”
Intrapersonal Definition

Intrapersonal person is a highly

developed self-
knowledge, involving accurate
knowledge or
goals, strength, limitations, mo
ods, anxieties desires and
motivations.
 This takes place within the
individual.
 Sender = Our relevant organ.
 Receiver = Our brain.
 Feed back by brain.
Intrapersonal Communication

Figure 1-3
Intrapersonal
Communication
Self-talk is the inner speech that includes the
questions and comments you make to
yourself. It is a powerful influence. You use it
when you:
• Think things through
• Interpret events
• Interpret messages of
others
• Respond to your own
experiences
• Respond to your
interactions with
others
Research has show than positive self talk
increases focus, concentration and
performance.

 If you believe you cannot do

something, your brain will tell
your body and it will shut
down.

 When you stay encouraged

and positive, your body will
also respond in a positive
way.
“In order to successfully
communicate with others you must
first learn to communicate with
yourself. Intrapersonal
communication is the most basic
level of communication. You must
understand who you are and what
you think of yourself.”
 Three steps involved in Perception

1. Sensory perception –
the physical process of
taking in data through
the senses.
› How do you know when
to go to school?
› How do you know if you
need to wear a jacket?
 Three steps involved in
Perception
2. Selective perception – the
mental process of choosing
which data or stimuli to focus
on from all that are available
to you at any given time.
› This means we have to make
decisions on which things
we focus on or ignore.
 Perception Process
• The process you use to
assign meaning to data
about yourself or the
world around you is
called perception.
• People seldom share
precisely the same
perceptions because
we are unique.
 The following can influence you perception
choices:

 Intensity – the more intense or dramatic the

stimulus, the more likely we are to notice it.
› Example: someone screaming all of a sudden
 Repetition – the more we are bombarded with
messages – the more it sinks in and we believe it.
› Advertising messages
 Uniqueness – things that are
new, unusual, unexpected & unique are often
noticed.
 Relevance – noticing things that mirror our own
interests, needs & motiviations.
To manage selective perception you should:

• 1. Stay alert
• 2. Make conscious choices
about what is important
data.
• 3. Screen out distractions &
noise that may interfere
with concentration.
• 4. Monitor the way you
select data and improve
your weaknesses.
Third step in perception process

• 3. Personal perception –
your own understanding of
reality. It becomes the
basis for your judgments
and decisions you make. It
also determines
appropriateness of your
communication choices.
– How you talk or express
yourself
(dress, act, perform, etc.)
are choices you make based
on your perceptions.
 Factors that influence personal perception
• Values – reflect your priorities and what you think is important.
• Beliefs – what one believes to be true that often helps you decide what to
accept or reject
• Culture – family, community, or organizations to which you belong
• Bias – consistent attitude, viewpoint or pattern of perception.
• Prejudice – preconceived judgment (to pre-judge on opinion rather than facts)
• Attitudes – powerful influences that can be positive or negative.
• Expectations – basing a judgment on what is expected rather than what
actually happened.
• Knowledge – what you know influences how your organize & interpret
information.
• Communication skills – if you are lacking in part of the communication
process, you may have difficulty in understanding and being understood.
 Analyzing Perceptions
• Two people in the same
room can have completely
different perceptions of
the same event. Varying
perceptions can cause
conflict and
misunderstandings. To
overcome this you must
continuallly check your
own perceptions and make
sure they are accurate.
 Key – Never assume that what you perceive as the
truth is the actual, absolute truth.
 Intrapersonal perception check:
 Question your sensory perception
 Question your selective perception
 Question you personal perception
 Interpersonal perception check:
 Clarify your perception of others messages.
 Analyze others’ points of view
 Take responsibility for your own communication.
SELF-CONCEPT
 SELF-CONCEPT FORMATION
1. Reflected Appraisals
a. Direct Reflections
b. Perceived Self
c. Generalized other
2. Social comparisons
3. Self-attribution
4. Self-values
Direct Reflections Thorstein Veblen, 1934

 The self-concept is largely

shaped by the responses
of others.
 You are deeply influenced
by people’s attitudes
towards you.
 You are a social being
who wants and needs to
be with people.
 You come to view your
“self” as you are viewed
by others.
 Direct Reflections Thorstein Veblen, 1934

 According to Veblen, the

usual basis of self-respect
is the respect by one’s
neighbors or fellows.

 Only individuals with

dysfunctional
temperaments can in the
long run retain their self-
esteem in the face of
disesteem of their
neighbors or colleagues.
Direct Reflections Thorstein Veblen, 1934

 “Because it is difficult to arrive at

self-knowledge, how others view us
is of tremendous importance. We
need a consensus from others in
order to validate our own self-
concepts.”

Our own self-evaluation is

affected by others’ evaluation of us.
 Perceived Self - Cooley, 1912

 It came from the concept of

the “looking-glass” self
wherein we imagine our
appearance to the other
person and imagine his
judgment of that
appearance, as well as some
self-feeling, such as pride or
regret.
 The crucial question is NOT
“What is the other person’s
attitude towards me?” but
“What do I perceive to be his
attitude towards me?”
Generalized Other - Mead

 The self arises out of social

experience, particularly social
interaction.
 The process of communication requires
the individual to adopt the attitude of
the other toward the self and to see
himself from their perspective or
standpoint.
 All the others’ particular attitudes are
crystallized in the “me,” in the process
giving rise to a single standpoint or
attitude called the “generalized other.”
 Your individual self-concept is shaped
by applying to your “self” the attitudes
of the society as a whole.
SOCIAL COMPARISONS

 Pettigrew (1967): “Human

beings learn about
themselves by comparing
themselves to others.”
 The process of self-evaluation
leads to self-ratings that may
be positive, neutral, or
negative in relation to the
standards set by the
individuals employed for
comparison.
 SELF-ATTRIBUTION

 Simply accepting
things as they are is
not helpful.
SELF-VALUES

 What is important to
an individual would
relate to one’s global
self-esteem.
WISEMAN and BARKER MODEL
• Intrapersonal communication is the
“creating, functioning, and evaluation of symbolic
processes which operate within the originating or
responding communicator.” (1974)
 WISEMAN and BARKER MODEL
External Internal Stimuli
Stimuli
T
R Ideation r
Discrimination
e a
n
c
Life s
e
m
p Regrouping Incubation
Orientation i
t s
i s
o Symbol Symbol i
n Decoding Encoding o
n
Internal Self-Feedback

External Self-Feedback
Life Orientation
• It plays a vital, underlying function
because it affects the various
stages as we evaluate and respond
to stimuli.
• It determines how the messages
are sent to and received by
ourselves.
• The “result of the sum total of
social, hereditary, and personal
factors which have influenced your
development as an individual.”
 Stimuli
• Internal stimuli are nerve
impulses that are received by
the brain.
• External stimuli, on the other
hand, comes from outside your
body, from your immediate or
proximate environment.
• There are two types of external
stimuli: overt and covert.
Reception
• Happens when the body first receives
stimuli.
• Receiving can take place singly or in
combination of any of the five senses:
sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
• External and internal receptors in the
five sensory organs receive stimuli
which are transformed into nerve
impulses and subsequently
transmitted to the brain.
• External receptors are found on or
near the surface of the body. These
receptors react to
physical, chemical, and mechanical
stimuli.
• Internal receptors such as nerve
endings provide information about
your internal state such as an empty
stomach or an itchy throat.
 Discrimination and Regrouping
• Discrimination determines
what stimuli are allowed to
stimulate thought.
• It screens out the less
significant or weaker stimuli.
• In regrouping, the strongest
and most important stimuli
previously selected are
arranged in a meaningful
sequence.
• Although screened
previously, the diverse
stimuli have not been ranked.
Ideation
• Ideation is the stage where the
messages are thought
out, planned and organized.
• This stage draws mainly on the
individual’s storehouse of
knowledge and experience
which may include previous
associations with the
topic, readings, observation, an
d conversation.
• The length of time depends on
the availability of material.
 Incubation and Symbol Encoding
• Incubation is the process of
allowing your ideas to grow and
develop further.
• Often referred to as the “jelling or
hatching period.”
• Allows you time to
weigh, evaluate, reorganize and
reflect on your messages.
• In Symbol Encoding, the symbols
of thought are transformed into
words and gestures or actions.
Transmission and Feedback
• The destination is the
communicator himself.
• The origin or point of initiation is
likewise himself.
• The self-communicator’s message is
composed of words and gestures
are thus transmitted via air or light
waves.
• Feedback in intrapersonal
communication is called self-
feedback.
• External is the self-communicator’s
response through airwaves.
• Internal self-feedback is felt through
bone conduction and muscular
movement.
 4 words to know of self
1. self-awareness: the ability
to reflect on and monitor
one’s own behavior
2. self-concept: everything
one thinks and feels about
oneself
3. self-image: the sort of
person one perceives
oneself to be
4. self-esteem: how well one
likes and values oneself
 Self-Concept is the self-perception or view you have of yourself. It is the person
you think you are, formed in your beliefs and attitudes. It is influence by how
others see you, how you were in your past, are today, and would like to be in the
future.

Real self – your “core” self; who you really
are.
Perceived self – who you see yourself to be.
Ideal self – who you want to be now or in
the future.
Public self – the self you freely disclose to
others or in public situations.
Private self – the self you do not share with
others; who you are in private.
Professional self – who you are in your job
or profession.
Social self – who you are when you interact
with other individuals, groups, in society or
social situations.
Intellectual self – who you are as a
student and a learner; the part of you
that acquires and uses knowledge.
Emotional self – the part of you that
processes feelings.
Physical self – who you are physically;
including the concept of your own
body, athletic ability, gracefulness and
coordination, level of
attractiveness, physical health and well
being.
Artistic self – the part of you that is
creative or artistic.
 How you perceive that you are
seen and treated by others.
 Your own expectations and the
standards that you set for yourself
 How you compare yourself to
others
 Self-concept lays the foundation
for your communication with
others one to one, in groups, or
one-to-group.
 Can give you confidence
you need to
communicate effectively
 Must draw from your
strengths
 Must know where you
need to improve
 Set goals for change
 Self-fulfilling prophecy – a prediction or expectation
of an event that shapes your behavior, making the
outcome more likely to occur.
 It comes from your own self-concept and the
expectations you establish for yourself.
 It also come from what you think others expect
of you.
 Self-disclosure – is the deliberate revelation of a
significant information about yourself that is not
readily apparent to others. It can be tricky because it
can either be appropriate or inappropriate for a
particular time, place or circumstance.
 Must know what facts, opinions, or feelings are
appropriate to reveal under the circumstances.
 Consider the purpose of self-disclosure and your
communication goals.
 Known to self Not known to self

1 2
Open
Known Blind Known
to others It is called open because many to others
of a person’s You are blind to what others
behaviors, motivations, feelings, li perceive about you. Feedback
kes and dislikes are openly can make you aware of this
communicated to others. information, but you may or may
not decide to adapt or change.

3 4
Not Hidden Unknown Not
Known Known
to others It represents the things you know
Things that neither you nor others
know or acknowledge. It could
to others
or believe about yourself but that
be subconscious fears or things
you do not choose to share with
you do not remember.
others.

Known to self Not known to self

• Factors that influence our self-
presentation: the other, situation
or interaction environment, and
motivation.
• Others determine the way we
present ourselves.
• “A man has as many different
social selves as there are distinct
groups of persons about whose
opinion he cares.” (William
James, 1892)
• Different situations or
environment bring about shifts in
identity primarily because they
offer cues for maximization of
reward.
• Motives of the self in undertaking
a relationship determine self-
presentation.
 3 Ways self-concept affects
intrapersonal communication

– Problem solving and

decision making
– Behavior
– Processing of
feedback
Need
William Schutz’s three basic
Interpersonal needs

1. The need to give or receive

affection
2. The need to include other or
be included in relationships.
3. The need to control others or
relinquish control to them.
Communicating With Others
 Communication with others
Affect on attitude for communicating with others

2 types of people

» Extroverted
Social individuals who are
relationship orientated people

» Introverted
People who are more focused on
themselves rather than on the
needs of others.
 How we make
predictions about
others based on
first impressions

• Physical
characteristics
• Social traits
• Emotional states
• Stereotyping
 Confirming Perceptions
• Checking perception
– Seek more information to verify
perceptions
– Recognize that even if your
original perceptions were
accurate, people can change
over time
– Talk with people about whom
you are forming perceptions
– Check perceptions verbally
• Perception check
– Verbal statement that reflects your understanding
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