Human Behavior and Interpersonal Comm

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INTRODUCTION

The importance of interpersonal communication has been growing especially in the context of

globalization and privatization where the economies of the developed and the developing

countries move from an industrial to service-oriented economy and that has placed interpersonal

communication in the center among all other skills that help in developing and sustaining in

business. Today’s service economy puts a premium on relationship building among employees,

peers, departments, organizations, and customers. Of course developing and maintaining these

relationships is the goal of business communication. ultural diversity, globalization,

organizational restructuring, worker specialization, and technology contribute to the current

emphasis on interpersonal skills. The multidisciplinary nature of !nterpersonal communication is

fascinating the researchers to delve deeply into it. "uman communication is a complex and

intriguing phenomenon. #oth form $syntactics% and content $semantics% of the communication

reflect the personal characteristics of the individuals as well as their social roles and

relationships.

!n this era of communication revolution, the effectiveness of communication has been

emphasized in all contexts. #ut the primary focus is only on the elements of language not on the

psychological $cognitive%, social and cultural factors. &hat distinguishes interpersonal

communication is the particular 'uality or character of interaction.

Theory is a contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking, or the results of

such thinking. (epending on the context, the results might for example include generalized

explanations of how nature works. The word has its roots in ancient )reek, but in modern use it

has taken on several different related meanings. * theory is not the same as a hypothesis. *

theory provides an explanatory framework for some observation, and from the assumptions of

the explanation follows a number of possible hypotheses that can be tested in order to provide

support for, or challenge, the theory.

* theory can be normative $or prescriptive%, meaning a postulation about what ought to be. !t

provides +goals, norms, and standards+. * theory can be a body of knowledge, which may or may

not be associated with particular explanatory models. To theorize is to develop this body of

knowledge.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR



The capacity of mental, physical, emotional, and social activities experienced during the five

stages of a human beings life - prenatal, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

!ncludes the behaviors as dictated by culture, society, values, morals, ethics, and genetics.

"uman behavior refers to the range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced

by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion

and genetics.

The behavior of humans $and other organisms or even mechanisms% falls within a range with

some behavior being common, some unusual, some acceptable, and some outside acceptable

limits. !n sociology, behavior in general is characterised as having no meaning, being not

directed at other people, and thus is the most basic human action. #ehavior in this general sense

should not be mistaken with social behavior, which is a more advanced action, as social behavior

is behavior specifically directed at other people. The acceptability of behavior depends heavily

upon social norms and is regulated by various means of social control. "uman behavior is

studied by the specialised academic disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, social work, sociology,

economics, and anthropology.

"uman behavior is experienced throughout an individual’s entire lifetime. !t includes the way

they act based on different factors such as genetics, social norms, core faith, and attitude.

#ehaviour is impacted by certain traits each individual has. The traits vary from person to person

and can produce different actions or behaviour from each person. ocial norms also impact

behaviour. (ue to the inherently conformist nature of human society in general, humans are

pressurised into following certain rules and display certain behaviours in society, which

conditions the way people behave. (ifferent behaviours are deemed to be either acceptable or

unacceptable in different societies and cultures. ore faith can be perceived through the religion

and philosophy of that individual. !t shapes the way a person thinks and this in turn results in

different human behaviours. *ttitude can be defined as +the degree to which the person has a

favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the behavior in 'uestion.+ Ones attitude is essentially a

reflexion of the behaviour he or she will portray in specific situations. Thus, human behavior isgreatly influenced by the attitudes we use on a daily basis.

FACTORS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Genetics



tudies of identical twins as compared to less closely related human beings, and of children

brought up in adoptive homes, have helped scientists understand the influence of genetics on

human behavior. The study of human behaviour genetics is still developing steadily with new

methods such as genome-wide association studies.$Tangney et al, //0%

Social norms

*n individual’s behavior varies depending on the group$s% they are a part of, a characteristic of

society that allows to norms heavily impact society. &ithout social norms, human society would

not function as it currently does1 humans would have to be more abstract in their behaviour, as

there would not be a pre-tested normal standardised lifestyle, and individuals would have to

make many more choices for themselves. The institutionalisation of norms is, however, inherent

in human society perhaps as a direct result of the desire to be accepted by others, which leads

humans to manipulate their own behaviour in order to fit in with others. $Triandis, 2334%

Core faith an c!lt!re

*nother important aspect of human behavior is their 5core faith6. This faith can be manifested in

the forms of religion, philosophy, culture, and7or personal belief and often affects the way a

person can behave. !t is only natural for something that plays such a large role in society to have

an effect on human behavior. 8orals are another factor of core faith that affects the way a person

behaves. 9motions connected to morals including shame, pride, and discomfort and these can

change the way a person acts. 8ost importantly, shame and guilt have a large impact on

behavior. :astly, culture highly affects human behavior. The beliefs of certain cultures are taught

to children from such a young age that they are greatly affected as they grow up. These beliefs

are taken into consideration throughout daily life, which leads to people from different cultures

acting differently. $Triandis, 2334%

Attit!e

The interesting thing about an attitude and human beings is that it alters between each individual.

9veryone has a different attitude towards different things. * main factor that determines attitude

is likes and dislikes. The more one likes something or someone the more one is willing to open

up and accept what they have to offer. &hen one doesn’t like something, one is more likely to

get defensive and shut down. *ttitudes can sculpt personalities and the way people view who we

are. ;eople with similar attitudes tend to stick together as interests and hobbies are common. This

does not mean that people with attitudes do not interact, because they do. $Triandis, 2334%



UNDERSTANDING INTER"ERSONA# COMMUNICATION

The uni'ue characteristics of interpersonal communication can be explored by tracing the

meaning of the word interpersonal. !t is derived from the prefix <inter’ meaning 5between6, and

the word person. o, interpersonal communication literally occurs between people. On one sense,

all communication happens among people, yet many interactions don’t involve us personally.

ommunication exists on a continuum from impersonal to interpersonal. The heart of

interpersonal communication is shared meanings between people. &e don’t =ust exchange words

when we communicate. !nstead, we create meanings as we figure out what each other’s words

and behaviours stand for, represent, or imply. 8eanings grow out of histories of interactions

between uni'ue persons.

The Oxford 9nglish (ictionary $23>3, ?ol. !!!, p. @0>%, for example, defines communication as

+the imparting, conveying, or exchange of ideas, knowledge, information, etc. $whether by

speech, writing, or signs%+. )ergen $2332% argues that the notion that people have ideas, formed

in the mind, which are then conveyed to others by a process of communication, is pervasive in

all cultures. !n 23> the 9nglish literary critic and author !.*. Aichards $cited in

www.britannica.com% offered one of the first and in some ways still the best definitions of

communication as a discrete aspect of human enterpriseB

ommunication takes place when one mind so acts upon its environment that another mind is

influenced, and in that other mind an experience occurs which is like the experience in the first

mind, and is caused in part by that experience. Aichards’s definition clearly presents the link

between psychology and the study of communication skills. 8. 9. Aoloff defines interpersonal

communication as Ca symbolic interaction between people rather than between a person and an

inanimate ob=ect $p.3D%.

8. :. Enapp and F. *. (aly in their "andbook of !nterpersonal ommunication $//% stateB

!nterpersonal communication can mean the ability to relate to people in written as well as verbal

communication. This type of communication can occur in both a one-on-one and a group

setting. This also means being able to handle different people in different situations, and making

people feel at ease. )estures such as eye contact, body movement, and hand gestures are also

part of interpersonal communication. The most common functions of interpersonal

communication are listening, talking and conflict resolution. Types of interpersonal

communication vary from verbal to non-verbal and from situation to situation. !nterpersonal



communication involves face-to-face communication in a way that accomplishes the purpose and

is appropriate $p.G%.

tewart H *ngelo in their book TogetherB ommunicating !nterpersonally defines

communication in the following mannerB !nterpersonal communication is a mutual relational,

co-constructed process, as opposed to something that one person does 5to6 someone else. Ioa H

Ioas Aesource Theory $ocietal tructures of the 8ind, 2304% focuses on the development of

cognitive structures in the mind. #ehavior is guided by motivational states. ;eople are motivated

to engage in certain behaviors whenever 'uantities of resources fall outside the optimal range.

They posit that every interpersonal behavior consists of giving or taking away one or more

resources, and that closely allied resources exchanges occur more fre'uently $i.e. love for love%.

8ichael ody defines interpersonal communication $cited in 8yers H 8yers, 230% Cas the

exchange of symbols used to achieve interpersonal goals $p.>%.

*n interpersonal communication focus emphasizes the process of the person interacting rather

than the verbal content of the interaction, accentuates behaviours and skills which extend the

alternatives available for interpersonal communication. !t includes affective as well as cognitive

dimensions drawn from the behavioural and other sciences as well as from the humanities. !t is

concerned about both verbal and nonverbal human messages and responses, and represents an

emphasis on the ob=ective investigation of the experience of person-to-person communication.

INTER"ERSONA# NEEDS

&illiam . chutz $23@>% has developed a systematic approach to the understanding of

interpersonal communication that is based upon interpersonal needs. *ccording to chutz,

interpersonal needs can be divided into three categories. They are inclusion, control and

affection. !nclusion refers to the need to maintain a satisfactory relationship with others and to

have enough involvement and belongingness1 control is associated with the need for influence

and power1 and affection refers to the need for friendship, closeness, and love. 9ach person’s

interpersonal needs are different. *n awareness of the interpersonal needs of the individuals will

enable us to better understand their communication behaviour. The chutz system suggests that a

successful interpersonal encounter is one where the interpersonal needs of the participants are

satisfied. &e engage in interpersonal communication and compare our opinions, attitudes, and

beliefs with those of others.



!n the same way, )eorge . "omans $23@/% identifies three elements that are present when

individuals get together to perform some taskB sentiment, activity, and interaction. entiment

refers to the need that motivated the individuals to =oin one another as well as to the positive and

negative feelings that participants develop toward one another. *ctivity is the label given to the

specific acts the participants perform that are related to their task. !nteraction refers, among other

things, to the interpersonal communication that inevitably occurs as the participants conduct their

activities. *ctivity, interaction, and sentiment are all interdependent. That is, an increase or

decrease in any one element affects the other two. #oth these views highlight the psychological

issues in developing interpersonal relationship while communicating with one another.

THEORETICA# FRAME$OR%

The Theor& of "lanne Beha'io!r ( Theor& of Reasone Action

The theory of planned behaviour $T;#% is one of the most widely cited and applied behaviour

theories. !t is one of a closely inter-related family of theories which adopt a cognitive approach to

explaining behaviour which centres on individuals’ attitudes and beliefs. The T;# $*=zen 23>@,

23321 *=zen and 8adden 23>D% evolved from the theory of reasoned action $Iishbein and *=zen

230@% which posited intention to act as the best predictor of behaviour. !ntention is itself an

outcome of the combination of attitudes towards a behaviour. That is the positive or negative

evaluation of the behaviour and its expected outcomes, and sub=ective norms, which are the

social pressures exerted on an individual resulting from their perceptions of what others think

they should do and their inclination to comply with these. The T;# added a third set of factors as

affecting intention $and behaviour%1 perceived behavioural control. This is the perceived ease or

difficulty with which the individual will be able to perform or carry out the behaviour, and is

very similar to notions of self-efficacy $see #andura 23>D, 23301 Terry et al. 233G%.

These key components of the T;# are illustrated in Iigure 2. 9xisting literature provides several

reviews of the T;# $&ebb et al /2/%. The T;# is suited to predicting behaviour and

retrospective analysis of behaviour and has been particularly widely used in relation to health

$*rmitage and onner //21 Taylor et al. //0%. 9vidence suggests that the T;# can predict /-

G/J of the variance in behaviour brought about via interventions, and a greater proportion of

intention. trong correlations are reported between behaviour and both the attitudes towards the

behaviour and perceived behavioural control components of the theory. To date only weak

correlations have been established between behaviour and sub=ective norms.



*rmitage and onner $//2%, however, suggest that this issue is most likely to be

methodological and state that the few studies which measured sub=ective norms appropriately

actually illustrate reasonably strong relationships with behaviour. The T;# is not considered

useful or effective in relation to planning and designing the type of intervention that will result in

behaviour change $&ebb et al. /2/%. Ksing the theory to explain and predict likely behaviour

may, however, be a useful method for identifying particular influences on behaviour that could

be targeted for change. *s "ardeman et al. $//% concludeB <even when authors use the T;# to

develop parts of the intervention, they seem to see the theory as more useful in identifying

cognitive targets for change than in offering suggestions on how these cognitions might be

changed’.

BEHAVIOUR AND INTER"ERSONA# COMMUNICATION

There is a concrete and complex network of links among the elements such as language,

behaviour and interpersonal skills in the process of communication. ocial psychologists focused

on behavior in interpersonal relations, their research served as a gateway for research examining

communication in interpersonal relationships. !n the words of "eath and #ryant $///%B

;articularly since 23D/, scholars adopted communication as the central term because they

wanted to study it as a significant and uni'ue aspect of human behavior $p. @3%. ocial

psychologists like "eider focused on <behaviour’ in the context of interpersonal communication.

"eider’s theory of 5naive psychology6 suggested that individuals act as observers and analyzers

of human behavior in everyday life. "eider statedB Cpersons actively seek to predict and explain

the actions of others $#erger H #radac, 23>, p. 3%.

!ndividuals gather information that helps them to predict and explain human behavior. The naive

factor analysis of action permits man to give meaning to action, to influence the actions of others

as well as of himself, and to predict future actions $"eider, 23@>%. *ccording to amovar and

;orter $2332% communication is... a dynamic transactional behavior-affecting process in which

people behave intentionally in order to induce or elicit a particular response from another person.

!n addition to the previous definition, they add the proponents of a channel, through which the

communication takes place1 a responder, who observe the communicative behaviour1 encoding

and decoding, i.e. the processes of producing and interpreting information1 and feedback, which

refers to the information available to a source that permits him or her to make 'ualitative

=udgements about communication effectiveness. *s amovar and ;orter $2332% put it,



communication is complete only when the intended behaviour is observed by the intended

receiver and that person responds to and is affected by the behaviour $2332%.

Thus their definition is largely based on intentional communication in an interpersonal context.

This is only to show that there are several ways to define and understand the field of

interpersonal communication in various dimensions correlating <language’ and <behaviour’.



CONC#USION

ompetent interpersonal communicators interact in ways that are effective and appropriate. This

means that we should adapt our ways of communicating to specific goals, situations, and others.

9ffectiveness and appropriateness re'uire us to recognize and respect differences that reflect

personal and cultural backgrounds. )uidelines for doing this include developing a range of

communication skills, adapting communication sensitively, engaging in dual perspective,

monitoring our own communication, and committing to effective and ethical interpersonal

communication.

The above explorations and explanations bring out the <intrinsic’ and <extrinsic’ links between

behaviour and interpersonal communication. Aesearchers in the field of interpersonal

communication are largely benefited by the socio psychological approaches to interpersonal

communication. These findings enable them to move further in the progress of research with

better understanding of the core concepts of interpersonal communication. The theories

propounded by the pioneers in the field of communication and psychology help them launch new

research, either by providing the testable hypothesis or by providing them with a heuristic

approach to their research findings.



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