INTRApersonal Communication

Intrapersonal communication can be…

• spoken (talking to yourself)

• written (journaling)

• thoughts

Self Concept

Who you THINK you are (subjective)

Self Concept is made up of?

• labels you consistently use to describe yourself

• Core elements (attitudes, beliefs and values)of self concept remain stable

is the self-concept congruent (the same) as how others may see us?

No, Self concept is often different from the way others see us

A HEATLHY Self Concept is…

FLEXIBLE

3 components of the SELF that are flexible

1) Material Self- You are what you have (“i am rich”, “I’m fit”)

2) Social Self- You are who you interact with as reflected in your interactions with others (“i’m a mother, a member of chess club”)

3) Spiritual Self- Answers the question: “Why am I here”

WHO you are is anchored in a core set of:
Attitudes, Beliefs and Values (anchored into self concept)

Attitude : (learned)
- Immediate preference toward a concept, idea or object (likes & dislikes)
- Evaluations of something....
→“I like or I prefer” OR “I don’t like, or I hate” or “I LOVE”
- MOST likely to change over time
a) You like vanilla ice cream, but friend says you should try this delicious chocolate ice cream...
- Humans hold ATTITUDES because they are useful.....helps us prioritise BEHAVIOURS
Ex) Snake= I do not like them= RUN AWAY
Blueberries= I do like them = I do not run away I stay and EAT THEM

WHO you are is anchored in a core set of:
Attitudes, Beliefs and Values (anchored into self concept)

Beliefs:
- Ideas based on our PREVIOUS experiences and convictions...may not be based on logic or fact.
- Frame of reference through which we interpret the world.
Can be changed....but takes time and strong evidence to change a belief
Ex) You believe the sun will rise, because it always has, burned by hot stove because that happened/witnessed
- Have to do with what is TRUE or NOT TRUE as opposed to attitudes which reflect LIKES and DISLIKES

ex) I like the Edmonton Oilers, but I don’t think they will win the Stanley Cup next year
Like= positive attitude
Think = belief because based on truth or experience

WHO you are is anchored in a core set of:
Attitudes, Beliefs and Values (anchored into self concept)

Core concepts and ideas of what we consider GOOD/BAD or RIGHT/WRONG
- CENTRAL to your self- concept (who you think you are) HARD to DEFINE
- You may value honesty, helping others & truth **
- More resistant to change: to CHANGE OUR VALUES MAY NEED a TRANSFORMATIVE LIFE EXPERIENCE
- For most of us: parents shape our values
EX) Value ability to make personal choices: Freedom to make choice about wearing helmet when on a motorbike
→ BUT then your child was injured = fractured skull= permanent brain damage
→ MIGHT reconsider this value.....still may value freedom of CHOICE in many areas of life but now advocate for helmet laws

“I am trustworthy”, what do you value, if your friend told you a secret what are you more likely to do?

What does this demonstrate?

• You value honesty

• You’ll keep your friends secret

  Values can influence our behaviour and communication

Self-concept statements about yourself usually use what words?

and speciffically which of the core set is it used for?

“I am…”

• usually used for values

Can your self-concept be changed?

yes

How does your self-concept develop?

Through interactions and observations of others (family, friends, community, media)
- Ex)
→ Someone believes in you- coach see’s your potential and you do better

→ Stories we hear – leading character with a traditional gender role that you identify= more likely to develop a more feminist self- concept

→ Media- what is considered ‘fat’ or ‘ideals’ affect our self -concept

Self-concept development:

We learn who we think we are through 5 basic means…

1. Interactions with individuals – develops due to how we believe others see us

• Looking glass self (Reflected appraisal)- by interacting with others we
  develop our self-concept = how others treat us: SMART, FUNNY ect.

2. Association with groups born into; or by choice

3. Roles we assume cultural conventions & expectations

4. Self-labels: we interpret what we experience; observe ourselves and apply labels

5. Our personalities: internal predispositions (how we respond) 5 major types that
   influence how we react to our environment

Self-concept development: cont…

We learn who we think we are through 5 basic means…

1) Interaction with individuals

The looking glass self (reflected appraisal)
→ Form our self concepts by seeing ourselves through a LOOKING GLASS reflected to us how others perceive us.
→We perceive ourselves the SAME way OTHERS perceive us
→Begins at BIRTH – our names....
→Friends become key individuals who reflect(feedback) back to us who we are

Frequency- more likely to believe if repeated several times
Credible-if they are competent, trustworthy and qualified (moms are biased)
Consistent – more likely to believe if comments are consistent with other comments and own experience.

Self-concept development: cont…

We learn who we think we are through 5 basic means…

2) Association with Groups

• Some groups we are born into, others we choose

• We form our self-concept based on attitudes, beliefs and values of groups
  with whom we associate
  a) Family groups, Political group, Religious groups, Professional
  b) Associating with groups is VERY important for people who are not part of the dominant culture– LGBTQ+= find the support they need from other members
  - ex) You chose to become part of the Registered Nurses group

Self-concept development: cont…

We learn who we think we are through 5 basic means…

3) Roles we Assume

• They imply EXPECTATIONS for BEHAVIOUR and important in shaping self concept

  • Mother, father, aunty, sister, uncle, manager, salesperson
    a) Gender roles asserts a powerful influence from birth on....and begin assigning cultural rules associated
    with Female or Male Gender
    b) Not everyone's GENDER matches the sex assigned at birth

Why is it important that you understand pt’s self-concept?

• Health events changes one’s self concept

• Health events influence one's thoughts, values and communication

• A HEALTHY self concept is a PROTECTIVE factor in coping with chronic illness

“I just don’t know how I am ever going to be a dad again after being in MVA and needing a wheelchair”

Self-concept is affected due to what?

loss of role

Self-concept development: cont…

We learn who we think we are through 5 basic means…

4) Self Labels

• We TALK to ourselves about ourselves

• Self labels can change over time

• Labels have a self-fulfilling prophecy- what we believe about ourselves often comes true because we expect that (bad at math, so then labelled yourself this way and it is more likely to come true)

Self-concept development: cont…

We learn who we think we are through 5 basic means…

5) Your Personality

• Psychology- the study of how thinking influences behavior
  Personality

• Set of enduring internal predispositions and characteristics that DESCRIBE how you react
  to your environment

• Understanding the FORCES that shape your personality increases your self awareness and
  self concept.

• Combination of the 5 personality traits make up your OVERALL personality

Extraversion – outgoing, talkative, and sociable
Agreeableness – friendly, compassionate, trusting, and cooperative
Conscientiousness – efficient, organized, self-disciplined, and dutiful, and methodical
Neuroticism – nervous, insecure, emotionally distressed, and anxious
Openness – curious, imaginative, creative, and adventurous

What are the 5 personality traits that make up your overall personality?

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Conscientiousness

• Neuroticism

• Openness

Willingness to Communicate

general way of summarizing the likelihood that you will talk with
others in a variety of situations

Shyness

behavioral tendency NOT to talk with others

Communication apprehension (stage fright)

fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with other people

Communibiological approach

• (Nature)

• perspective that genetics and biological influences play a
  MAJOR role in shaping your communication behavio

Social Learning Theory

• (Nurture)

• people can learn to adapt and adjust their behavior toward
  others by observing and interacting with others (being social we can learn)

  → Discover ways to change our behavior

Self-Concept

A DESCRIPTION of you think you are

Self Esteem

Your EVALUATION of your worth or value as reflected in your skills, abilities, talents, appearance and character

prosocial

behave in ways that benefit others

Social Comparison

the process of comparing yourself to others who are similar
to you to measure your worth and value

Signs of High Self- Esteem

• problem solving

• thinks highly of others

• accepts praise without embarrassment

• comfortable being observed

• admits strengths and weaknesses

• decisions based on values

• expect others to accept you for who you are

• seeks opportunities to improve

Positive self-esteem

is related to feeling and expressing positive messages and
being supportive of others

Signs of Low – Self Esteem

the opposite of high self-esteem

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

What you believe about yourself and your worth often comes true because you expect it to come true

Self-Disclosure

PURPOSEFUL and LIMITED SHARING of:

a) Your own PERSONAL experience RELATED to what the patient has said

b) Your thoughts and feelings concerning what clients are experiencing in the moment

c) “Intentional (limited) sharing of relevant personal data used to enhance the nurse-patient relationship”

• OFTEN stars with an “I “ statement

WHY do we Self Disclose?

• we cannot form intamacy without self-disclosure

• ct’s respond well(dyadic effect)

• More positive= more sharing

  • Disclosure should usually be positive

dyadic effect

one person's disclosure evokes a similar disclosure from the other

Mindfulness

the ability to consciously think about what you are doing and experiencing rather than responding out of habit or intuition

Self Reflexiveness

ability to think about what we are doing while doing it

• Ability to be objectively self aware

• Reflexivity is a type of mindfulness expected of nurses- “be in the moment”