What Is Interpersonal Behaviour?

Interpersonal behaviour is a topic that is widely studied by many academics. Basically, the term ‘interpersonal’ focuses on the bond between two people, and the behaviour between these two individuals will depend on the context of their relationship. For example, the way that a boyfriend and a girlfriend behave with one another will be different to the communication between a mother and a daughter.

If you are interested in interpersonal behaviour, studying social sciences can be the first step to learning more. Subjects such as psychology and sociology focus in depth on how we rely on the people we develop bonds with, and how our behaviour alters over time.

Of course, interpersonal behaviour isn’t just explored in the environment of friends and family, as it is widely believed that a strong partnership between an employer and their staff can result in higher levels of efficiency in the workplace. This is why character building courses have become a key part of business, as it allows interpersonal behaviour to become stronger as co-workers trust one another further.

There are different theories that surround interpersonal behaviour, and it’s widely believed that the more people collaborate with each other, the better they will be at appreciating each other’s skills. It doesn’t just benefit the results that companies can publish, but it improves levels of happiness in the workplace. Because people are working with their friends and enjoying one another’s company, they are going to be chirpier and less likely to get involved with conflict that can damage overall productivity.

Interpersonal Behaviour is basically how "two persons" interact in any setting. It is extremely important in organizations or even schools and other education institutions to strengthen interpersonal relationships. When at a basic level, that is, between two people the relationship is strong and pleasant, it will lead to proper behaviour. This behaviour will result in productive work which is ultimately what organizations are looking for. At the employee level if trust and passion for work exists, the unity between them can achieve great results. These results would be in terms of reduction in the time lag, better quality work, and excellence in working procedures. Even in an educational institution such behaviours have a chain reaction. If two people do not get together and are forced together in a group assignment, it might just be completed half-heartedly by the two and not achieve desired results. This will have two consequences. First, it will affect the other group members and their grades. Second, it will foster hatred and mistrust within which will have long term effects on those two and those surrounding them.

Intrapersonal communication is a type of communication that a person carries with him or herself. That does not mean talking loudly and crazily in the literary context but figuratively it is a methodology of communicating to oneself that is important in the psychological development of a person, for developing openness to his/ her ideas and gaining access into the psychodynamic dimension of the personality. Its purpose is to think, reason, analyze and reflect the thought procedure.

The skills that are required for effective intrapersonal communication are include enhancing self-esteem, along with increasing the extent of self-awareness (meaning knowing yourself well enough and being sensitive to your attributes). It also requires improving problem-solving skills and analyzing abilities. Moreover the need for increasing self-control and reducing the level of stress is a vital one. Lastly the effective management of intrapersonal conflicts (quagmires in general) is important in the carriage of a smooth intrapersonal communication.