It is known that communication is part of the everyday life of an individual; while we are speaking with our families at home, friends at school, colleagues at work or simply by talking to a stranger, we always use words and messages to communicate with one another. It is however seldom that people will be mindful of what manner of communication they are using in their daily lives. In this paper, definition of interpersonal communication will be initially discussed, followed by the several interpersonal communication theories that we may possible adapt.
Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal Communication (IPC) has various meanings as defined by several scholars. According to Miller (1978), …show more content…
It is considered as one of the popular theory in Cognitive Psychology and Social Psychology. Based on the name of the theory itself, cognitive refers to the mind and dissonance means inconsistency or conflict, which basically means that the theory talks about the mind or thinking being inconsistent or in conflict. To define clearly, cognitive dissonance is the psychological conflict from holding two or more incompatible beliefs simultaneously. This cognitive theory views individuals as more of a purposeful decision makers as they strive to balance their beliefs or perceptions. As what the theory suggests, when an individual is presented with information that creates conflict from what they initially believe in, they will use dissonance-reduction strategies to regain balance, especially if this will affect their self-esteem. They may either be uncomfortable enough with the conflict to be motivated to achieve consonance or they may avoid information and situation that might increase the …show more content…
Attribution Theory refers to the individual analyzing why people do what they do by piecing information together until they reach to a reasonable cause, which may be attributed to their characteristic or to the given situation that they are in. Cognitive Dissonance Theory refers to the tension or conflict being experienced by the mind when the individual was presented two or more ideas simultaneously which may possibly lead to alteration of behavior or perception. Lastly, Social Exchange Theory suggests that individuals weigh the rewards and punishment or the give and take ratio of the relationship to decide whether they would want to maintain or abandon the