Interpersonal Communications…

As we go on doing our mundane day-to-day activities, the one thing that varies each day is the people we meet. Everday we interact with many people; be it your parents, the security guard, the cleaner, the bus driver, your teachers or friends; we have conversations that could either last hours or  just a mere greeting. The type of interactions that is carried out is dependent on several factors.

There are 2 perspectives; namely, Quantitative and Qualitative.  Qualitative speaks about each unique relationship due to the different mindsets each individual has during the interaction, culturally, socially and psychologically. In terms of qualitative, the number of people and the context of physical interaction also plays a part. For instance, many of us would much rather prefer to speak up in a class when we have friends around us for support as compared to when we are in a class on our own.

I feel that they both play an important role in determining the type of interaction that might take place. Relationship is one of the most influential factors that determine the type of interaction a group/two people will experience. The more familiar we are with the individuals we interact with, the more warm and comfotable the communiction will be. It is also evident that the number of people is a determing factor, seeing that many of us are more comfortable in approaching or starting a conversation when we have company then when we are alone.

We also learned that in forming a relationsip, as well as coming apart in a relationship, there are 10 distinct stages. These stages are known as Knapp Model of Relational development. This was really interesting for me as we have always known the rough sequence of how 2 individuals come together and start a relationship and if it doesnt work out, an invinsible gap between them gradually grows and they eventually fall out. Learning in detail these stages has helped me paint a clearer picture of the process and to better understand it.  I will go into discussing these stages in my next entry (Soon, Hopefully!)

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