Interpersonal communication Essay

Inter individualal communication is defined as an interaction between involving two or more participants, providing immediate feedback to each other. It serves a purpose especially in building affinitys. interpersonal communication is a transactional process. It is not a one way activity like a monologue. Rather, it is interactive, and ongoing. In watching the sitcom, Scrubs, communication doesnt commence when the characters start talking. It starts the moment viewers and actors come face to face in the boob tube. The actors do not fix messages solely through words, but through actions and facial expressions too.For instance, the scrunching face of one actor may already be interpreted by the audience as an expression of disgust or dislike. Interpersonal communication is also ambiguous. The significance of the words articulated is interpreted distinctively by each receiver. The particular run well good news is, I dont have to eat my wifes cooking anymore, right? uttered by the af fected role was understood differently by the pair of doctors standing in his bedside. The female physician laughed so hard because she found it funny, but the male physician furrow his brows.The understanding of a person may be affected by various factors. His culture, personality, upbringing, gender and even intelligence are just some of the reasons for the discrepancy in interpretation. The ambiguity of interpersonal communication is also a cause of dispute. In a lovers feud for example, the female might be fuming mad when his partner chides about her weight. She might take it as a sign that he is not attracted to him anymore. Whereas, the bewildered boyfriends initial final stage was perhaps to make her less conscious of her body by joking about it.In addition, interpersonal communications have a content and relationship dimension. The meaning of a line or phrase is dependent on the context and the circumstance involved. Just like in the sitcom line mentioned above, where the humans commented about his wifes cooking, the connotation will change if the man is not ill and in bed. For me, what he said was meant to make the hospital imagination lighter. But, if he were talking to an attractive woman at a cafe, it might be interpreted as flirting. Interpersonal communication may be viewed as symmetrical or complementary.Symmetry suggests that the behaviour of one person is mirrored by another, while the term complementary refers to contrasting reactions. Both were evident in the sitcom Scrubs. The patient-doctor relationship is usually symmetrical in the show. The physician wants to cure the patients sickness, and the patient wants to be treated. Complementarity arises due to the different power positions. The physician, who is an smart on medical care instructs his patient. The patient oftentimes, becomes a passive receiver of information. When the relationship is complementary, there is a chance that the two parties would intensify each other.For insta nce, when the patient told his doctor that he wanted to get out of bed to see the talent show, the doctor of course declined. The patient looked downcast and ready to protest, but it sullen out that the doctor was only kidding him initially. Interpersonal communication is a series of punctuated events. After each statement or idea, there is a reaction. A person does not respond only after a lengthy narrative is finished, but on each word, sentence or paragraph mentioned. In a sitcom for example, viewers do not watch the whole episode and laugh only when it ends. But, they chuckle on each line that they find funny.In addition, the series of reactions, on when to laugh is arbitrarily set by the viewer. I do not find other dialogues ticklish, and thus I do not giggle a bit, even if others do. However, live sitcoms like Scrubs exploit this aspect by adapting to and adopting the viewers point of view. Since communication is a transactional process, it is blue-blooded to catch the audie nces empathy and adjust to their mood. A laughing spiel is often followed by serious dialogue. Interpersonal communication is inevitable. In a property where interaction is possible, one cannot not communicate.It is hard not to respond to someone who is conveying a message to you. But, I personally find this point earlier contentious. As a television viewer, I sometimes watch simply to absorb information. In watching the weather news, I feel no empathy for what I am hearing. I am simply a passive funnel of ideas. In this sense, the news reporter has given me weather data, but has not create any reaction from me. Interpersonal communication is irreversible. Something that has been said cannot be taken back. The meaning of the words that has been transmitted and digested by the other party cannot be reversed.In sitcoms for instance, if viewers are offended by a racial joke, it is hard to appease them. The only way to do it is through a public apology. Interpersonal communication is unrepeatable. The exact line containing exactly the same words can of course be uttered twice, but the underlying situation is constantly changing and there is no certainty that it can be reconstructed. Due to the unrepeatable aspect of interpersonal communication, one has to be aware of himself. At such, one has to be conscious of using strong words, like hate and giving commitments.