Interpersonal Communication:
Relating to Others
Eighth Canadian Edition
Chapter 2
Interpersonal Communication and
Self
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada, Inc.
Chapter Objectives
2.1 Define self-concept and identify the factors that shape
the development of your self-concept.
2.2 Define self-esteem and compare and contrast self-
esteem with self-concept.
2.3 Identify and describe seven strategies for improving your
self-concept.
2.4 Identify the effects of your self-concept and self-esteem
on your relationships with others.
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“People tell themselves
stories and then pour their
lives into the stories they tell.”
– Anonymous
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Self Concept: Who You Think You Are
(1 of 2)
2.1 Define self-concept and identify the factors
that shape the development of your self-
concept.
• Self – The sum total of who a person is; a person’s central inner
force
– Who are you?
– Unique source of growth
• Self concept – is a person’s subjective description of who they
think they are
– Filtered through a person’s own perceptions
– A healthy self-concept is flexible, yet core elements are
stable
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Self Concept: Who You Think You Are (2 of 2)
2.1 Define self-concept and identify the factors that
shape the development of your self-concept.
Recap
Who You Are Is Reflected in Your Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values
Blank Definition Dimensions Example
Attitude Learned predispositions to respond Likes You like ice cream,
favourably or unfavourably toward Dislikes incense, and cats.
Something
Belief The way in which we structure reality True–False You believe that your
parents love you.
Value Enduring concepts of what is right and Good–Bad You value honesty
wrong and truth.
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Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values Reflect
Your Self-Concept (1 of 2)
• Attitude – is a learned predisposition to respond to a
person, object, or idea in a favourable or unfavourable way
• Beliefs – ways in which you structure your understanding
of reality, true or false
• Values – are enduring concepts of good and bad, right and
wrong
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Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values Reflect
Your Self-Concept (2 of 2)
Figure 2.1 Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes in Relation to Self
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Mindfulness: Being Consciously
Aware
• Mindfulness – The ability to consciously think about what
you are doing and experiencing rather than responding out
of habit or intuition. This includes:
– Subjective Self-Awareness – The ability to
differentiate the self from the social and physical
environment.
– Objective Self-Awareness – The ability to be the
object of one’s own thoughts and attention; to be aware
of one’s state of mind and what one is thinking.
– Symbolic Self-Awareness – The uniquely human
ability to think about ourselves, but to use language
(symbols) to represent ourselves to others.
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One or Many Selves? (1 of 2)
• Material Self – Your concept of self as reflected in a total
of all the tangible things you own.
• Social Self – Your concept of self as developed through
your personal, social interactions with others.
• Spiritual Self – Your concept of self based on your
thoughts and introspections about your values and moral
standards.
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One or Many Selves? (2 of 2)
Recap
William James’s Dimensions of Self
Blank Definition Example
Material Self All the physical elements that reflect who Body, clothes, car, home
you are
Social Self The self as reflected through your Your informal self interacting
interactions with others; actually, a with your best friend; your
variety of selves that respond to changes formal self interacting with
in situations and roles your professors
Spiritual Self Introspections about values, morals, and Belief or disbelief in God;
beliefs regard for life in all its forms
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How Your Self-Concept Develops
• Interaction with individuals
– Looking-glass self or reflected appraisal
Frequent, Credible, Consistent
• Association with groups
• Roles we assume
– Androgynous roles
• Self-labels
– Self-reflexiveness – self-aware
• Your Personality
– Five major personality traits
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Five Personality Traits
• Extraversion – quality of being outgoing, talkative, and
sociable
• Agreeableness – quality of being friendly, compassionate,
trusting, and cooperative
• Conscientiousness – quality of being efficient, organized,
self-disciplined, and dutiful, and methodical
• Neuroticism – quality of being nervous, insecure,
emotionally distressed, and anxious
• Openness – quality of being curious, imaginative, creative,
and adventurous
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Communibiological Approach / Social
Learning Theory
• Communibiological approach – genetic and biological
influences play a major role in influencing communication
behaviour
• Social Learning Theory – people can learn to adapt and adjust
their behaviour toward others by observing how others behave
• Shyness – behavioural tendency not to talk or interact with
other people
• Communication Apprehension – Fear or anxiety associated
with either real or anticipated communication with other people
• Willingness to Communicate – characteristic that describes
an individual’s tendency to be shy or apprehensive about
communicating with others
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Self-Esteem: Your Self-Worth
2.2 Define self-esteem and compare and
contrast self-esteem with self-concept.
• Self-esteem – is your evaluation of your worth or value as
reflected in your perception of such things as your skills,
abilities, talents, and appearance
• Social comparison – is the process of comparing yourself
to others who are similar to you to measure your worth and
value
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How to Improve Your Self-Esteem (1 of 2)
2.3 Identify and describe seven strategies for improving
your self-concept.
Recap
Strategies for Improving Your Self-Esteem
Engage in Self-Talk If you are having a bad hair day, tell yourself that you
have beautiful eyes and lots of friends who like you
anyway.
Visualize If you feel nervous before a meeting, visualize
everyone in the room congratulating you on your
great ideas.
Avoid Comparison Focus on your positive qualities and what you can do
to enhance your own talents and abilities.
Reframe Appropriately If you experience one failure, keep the larger picture
in mind rather than focusing on that isolated incident.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada, Inc.
How to Improve Your Self-Esteem ( 2 of 2)
2.3 Identify and describe seven strategies for improving
your self-concept.
Recap
Strategies for Improving Your Self-Esteem
Develop Honest Cultivate friendships with people you can confide in
Relationships and who will give you honest feedback for improving
your skills and abilities.
Let Go of the Past Talk yourself out of your old issues; focus on ways to
enhance your abilities in the future.
Seek Support Talk with professional counsellors or seek face-to-
face or online support from friends who can help you
identify your gifts and talents.
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada, Inc.
Self and Interpersonal Relationships
2.4 Identify the effects of your self-concept and
self-esteem on your relationships with others.
• Self and Others
– Symbolic interaction theory – people make sense of the world
based on their interpretation of words or symbols used by others
• Self and Your Future
– Self-fulfilling prophecy – when people expect their beliefs about
themselves to come true, they often do
• Self and Interpretation of Messages
– self-esteem colours interactions and how messages are
interpreted (low or high)
• Self and Interpersonal Needs
– Three primary social needs affect our degree of communication:
need for inclusion, need for control, and need for affection
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada, Inc.
Self and Disclosure to Others
• Self-disclosure – purposefully providing information to
others that they would not learn if you did not tell them
• Self-awareness – a person’s conscious understanding of
who they are
• Why we self-disclose
– Trust, deepening of interpersonal relationships
• Self-Disclosure on Social Media
– Tendency to reveal very personal information on these
apps
– Used by potential employers to assess qualifications
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Johari Window Model of Being
Known to Self and Others (1 of 2)
Four Quadrants
1. Open; Known to Self and Known to Others
2. Blind: Not Known to Self but Known to Others
3. Hidden: Known to Self but not Known to Others
4. Unknown: Not Known to Self or Others
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Johari Window Model of Being
Known to Self and Others (2 of 2)
Figure 2.2 Johari Window of Self-Disclosure
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Variations on the Johari Window
Figure 2.3 Variations on the Johari Window
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Self and Communication Social Style
• Communication Social Style – an identifiable way of
habitually communicating with others
• Communication Style is developed through two primary
dimensions:
– Assertiveness – tendency to make requests, ask for
information, and generally pursue your own rights and
best interests
– Responsiveness – tendency to be sensitive to the
needs of others, including being sympathetic to the
pain of others and placing the feelings of others above
your own feelings
Copyright © 2021 Pearson Canada, Inc.
Assertive and Responsive
Behaviours (1 of 2)
Table 2.1 Identifying Assertive Behaviours in Others47
Blank More Responsive People Less Responsive People
Tend To Tend To
Speech • Talk more • Talk less
• Talk faster • Talk more slowly
• Talk loudly • Talk softly
Body • Move faster • Move more slowly
• Appear more energetic • Appear less energetic
• Lean forward • Lean backward
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Assertive and Responsive
Behaviours (2 of 2)
Table 2.2 Identifying Responsive Behaviours in Others48
Blank More Responsive People Tend To Less Responsive People Tend To
Speech • Use more pitch variation • Use less pitch variation
• Take a brief amount of time to • Take a longer amount of time to
respond respond
• Use more vocal energy • Use less vocal energy
Body • Show more facial animation when • Show less facial animation when
talking talking
• Use more head nods • Use fewer head nods
• Use smoother, flowing gestures • Use more hesitant, nonflowing
gestures
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Applying an Other-Orientation to Self
and Interpersonal Communication
• Be aware of the thoughts and feelings of others, but
remain true to your own ethics and beliefs
• Personal beliefs serve as an anchoring point for
interactions with others
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