Interpersonal communication

About: Interpersonal communication is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 26243 publications have been published within this topic receiving 767999 citations.

Towards a social psychology of recreational travel.

Abstract: This paper examines recreational travel from a social psychological stand-point. According to this approach, an individual's behaviours, cognitions, and feelings about travelling are analyzed against the social background, that is, how the individual influences and is influenced by others. The main question is addressed to the motivation for recreational travel: why do people travel for recreation? Why do they choose this activity over others? While variations in motives can be found between and within individuals and between various types of travel (vacation versus weekend travel), the basic psychological mechanism is likely to be the same for most of recreational travel. It is shown that like leisure behaviour in general, recreational travel is a dialectical optimizing process, in which two forces simultaneously influence a person: the desire to leave the personal and/or interpersonal environment behind oneself and the desire to pursue or gain certain personal and/or interpersonal rewards. This process ...

A socio-interpersonal perspective on PTSD: the case for environments and interpersonal processes.

Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common reaction to traumatic experiences. We propose a socio-interpersonal model of PTSD that complements existing models of post-traumatic memory processes or neurobiological changes. The model adds an interpersonal perspective to explain responses to traumatic stress. The framework draws from lifespan psychology, cultural psychology and research into close relationships and groups. Additionally, clinical knowledge about PTSD is incorporated. This involves knowledge about shame, guilt, estrangement feelings and protective factors, such as social support and forgiveness. Three levels are proposed at which relevant interpersonal processes can be situated and should be adequately researched. First, the individual level comprises social affective states, such as shame, guilt, anger and feelings of revenge. Second, at the close relationship level, social support, negative exchange (ostracism and blaming the victim), disclosure and empathy are proposed as dyadic processes relevant to PTSD research and treatment. Third, the distant social level represents culture and society, in which the collectivistic nature of trauma, perceived injustice, and social acknowledgement are concepts that predict the response trajectories to traumatic stress. Research by the current authors and others is cited in an effort to promote future investigation based on the current model. Methodological implications, such as multi-level data analyses, and clinical implications, such as the need for couple, community or larger-level societal interventions, are both outlined. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: The socio-interpersonal model proposes an interpersonal view of the processes that occur in the aftermath of a traumatic experience. At the individual level, the model integrates the social affective phenomena that clinical research identifies in PTSD patients, including shame, guilt, anger, revenge and the urges or reluctance to disclose. At the level of close relationships, there is an emphasis on the role of the individuals' partner, family or social support in the development or maintenance of PTSD and its recovery. At the distant social level, societal and cultural factors, e.g., individualistic versus collectivistic or other human value orientations, are acknowledged as contributing to the severity and course of PTSD. Increasing attention should be given to new approaches of PTSD treatment that refer to an interpersonal view of PTSD, e.g., communication training, PTSD-specific couples' therapy or community programs.

Social presence in distributed group environments: The role of social identity

Abstract: This paper argues that to achieve social presence in a distributed environment, it is not necessary to emulate face-to-face conditions of increased cues to the interpersonal. Rather, it is argued, that a sense of belongingness to the group, or perceptual immersion in the group, can be realised through the creation of a shared social identity between group members. From this perspective, social presence is a function of the cognitive representation of the group by group members and not the interpersonal bonds between group members. Furthermore, specific design features and characteristics of the distributed learning environment can be utilised to achieve and maintain this shared group identity. This approach, encapsulated by the SIDE model, is discussed and supported by two case studies of distributed students, each consisting of 10 groups, collaborating for a period of 5 weeks on group projects.

Presentation of self on the Web: an ethnographic study of teenage girls’ weblogs

Abstract: Through their use of weblogs, teenage girls are bridging their offline and online relationships. As the girls use this medium to construct themselves and their relationships, they must address the dual nature of weblogs as a tool for interpersonal communication and mass communication. This study examines two aspects of teen girls’ blog use: (1) challenges and hazards of conducting interpersonal communication in a mass medium, and (2) self‐presentation strategies used to negotiate a dual audience. Methodology for the study included an ethnographic study of 40 weblogs, an in‐depth analysis of six weblogs and a set of 13 in‐depth interviews.

Understanding attachment security in family context.

Abstract: Attachment theory (J. Bowlby, 1969) is not just about how internalized models of relationships affect interpersonal outcomes; it is primarily a theory about how interpersonal processes affect social and cognitive development. This study tested 3 hypotheses about the interpersonal sources of adult attachment security: (a) attachment security is relationship specific, (b) characteristics of partners affect attachment security, and (c) security of attachment is reciprocated. Measures of attachment security were obtained from 2 parents and 2 children (adolescent or older) in 208 middle-class families. Results of social relations model analysis (D. A. Kenny & L. La Voie, 1984) supported all 3 hypotheses. The author concludes that internal working models of relationships may not be so "internal" after all and that greater emphasis on the interpersonal sources of adult attachment security is warranted.