Communication Studies: Understanding Self and Intrapersonal Communication

The Self

• The self is a composite of personality, characteristics, attitudes, values, and beliefs that make us unique and is shaped by social connections with others.

Intrapersonal Communication

• Intrapersonal communication is communication with oneself, like having an internal dialogue.
• It's an exchange of messages where the sender and receiver are the same person.
• It can happen alone or in social situations and can be prompted internally or in response to environmental changes.

Identity

• Identity is ever-changing and dynamic, influenced by local and social connections with others.
• It's formed through observing parents, friends, and social circles.
• Identity is not isolated and is formed through social interactions from birth to adulthood.

Forms of Identity

• Physical self
• Emotional self
• Intellectual self
• Moral self

Identity in Context

• Personal identity is formed through categorization, where humans categorize information and see themselves as members of a group/category.
• Social identity theory suggests that people see themselves as members of a group through comparison with other groups.
• Identity theory suggests that role expectations are fulfilled and negotiated between parties involved in an encounter.

Self-Concept

• Self-concept is the mental image of who we are, including our appearance, capabilities, attitudes, opinions, beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses.
• It's shaped by our relationships with others and how we believe others see us.
• Self-concept is communicated to others through our behavior in a given situation.

Developing a Self-Concept

• Self-concept is shaped by our relationships with others and how we perceive ourselves based on how we believe others see us.
• Positive or negative feedback from others influences our self-concept and confidence in communicating with others.

Theories of the Self-Concept

Looking-Glass Self

• The theory suggests that we evaluate ourselves based on how we think others perceive and evaluate us.

Social Comparison

• The theory suggests that we form a self-concept by measuring ourselves against others to determine how we are doing.
• Comparisons are used to determine similarity/difference and superiority/inferiority.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

• The theory suggests that our expectations of an event can help create the conditions that allow the event to happen.
• What we believe about ourselves often comes true because we expect it to come true.

Self-Concept and Intrapersonal Communication

• People understand who they are by internalizing positive and negative messages.
• Intrapersonal processing involves decoding, integration, memory, schemata, and encoding to make sense of information and act on it or store it for future use.