Lecture 3. Psychology of interpersonal interaction

Being an independent being, endowed with freedom of choice and creative potential, a personality cannot develop outside the social environment, outside interaction with other individuals.

Definition 1

In modern scientific literature, interaction is understood as the actions of individuals directed towards each other; a set of methods that a person uses in the process of achieving certain goals and solving practical problems.

The understanding of interpersonal interaction is based on the category of social connection.

Definition 2

A social connection is the dependence of individuals, which is realized through social actions carried out with a focus on another person with the expectation of an appropriate reaction from the participant in the interaction.

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Content

1. Concept, types and functions of communication 3
2. The role of perception in the process of communication. Errors of perception 8

3. Workshop

Correlate the proposed socio-psychological concepts and their definitions:

a) stereotype;

b) prejudice;

1) one-sided, distorted and, as a rule, prejudiced view, characteristic of representatives of professional, age, social, ethnic groups or classes;

2) personal antipathy or active hostility towards another social group; however, individuals may or may not participate in discriminatory activities based on their views 13

Literature 15

The concept of “interpersonal relationships”

Each of us has our own principles, life values, moral principles, priorities and outlook on life. The interaction of one person with the people around him, the ability to establish connections with them is called interpersonal relationships.

There is a concept called “Donbar number”, which denotes the maximum comfortable number of connections for a person. Its value ranges from 100 to 230, with an average of 150 contacts.

Life in society is different, and therefore relationships are varied. Their variety depends on many factors and is classified into the following types:

• informal\formal;
• business\personal;
• practical\emotional;
• subordination\parity.

Let us consider each type of interpersonal relationship in detail below.

Concept of personality, communication and interpersonal relationships

In the context of psychology, a personality is an individual who acts as a subject of relations in society, as well as as a subject in his own conscious activity. Personality also means a system of properties of an individual, which manifests itself in human activity.

According to R. Cattell, personality is a concept that characterizes a person’s behavior in a given situation.

G. Allport believes that “a personality is something, and it does something. Personality is what lies behind specific actions within the individual himself.”

Comment

As you know, communication is inherent in a person as a social being. Without the latter, no interaction with other members of society can take place.

Thus, communication is a certain process in which interpersonal interaction takes place. This process is determined by the needs of the subjects who interact and is aimed at satisfying these needs.

Communication is more important than ever in the modern world, as the amount of information increases. In addition, the number of “person-to-person” professions is rapidly growing.

Definition 1

Interpersonal relationships are a set of connections that develop between people in the form of feelings, judgments and appeals to each other.

Note 1

Interpersonal relationships are based on communication. As is known, the very first leading activity of an individual (infancy) is emotional and personal communication. It is with its help that the psyche develops rapidly. Communication passes through the entire development of the child, and next time appears in the form of a leading activity in adolescence as intimate-personal communication.

There are several stages in the development of interpersonal relationships.

1. Acquaintance. This stage is associated with the emergence of mutual contact and individuals’ assessment of each other.
2. Friendly relations. The emergence of interpersonal relationships and the formation of a basic level of trust.
3. Companionship. At this stage, a convergence of views occurs.

There are several main types of interpersonal relationships:

1. Industrial interpersonal relations.
2. Everyday interpersonal relationships.
3. Formal interpersonal relationships.
4. Informal interpersonal relationships.

Ways of human interaction with society

Psychologists describe 4 possible ways of interaction between an individual and a team:

1. Initiative type of behavior. The acting person himself influences the environment. He is able to change the conditions of interaction in his team as he needs.
2. Reactive type. A person is able to adapt to environmental conditions. But he himself does not influence her.
3. Interpretive.
4. The evaluator - the social environment influences him, he himself remains passive, only reflexively assesses what exactly is happening to him.

Naturally, those who choose an active position rather than a passive one are more successful in society.

Interpersonal relationship systems

In addition to the above types of relationships, there is also a systematic division into rational and emotional relationships, as well as parity and subordination. Let's look at them in more detail:

• Rational relationships. It logically follows that the basis and goal of this type of relationship is the intention to receive benefits. A rational system of relations implies a certain mutual benefit for all participants in the communication.
• Emotional social connections are based on personal preferences, based on sensory contacts, which may not always be positive. Along with friendship and love, emotional relationships also include enmity, antipathy, and hatred.
• Parity contacts - communication between a couple or a group of people in this category is based on equality. The basis of these interpersonal relationships is complete freedom of choice.
• Subordination relationships that have a clear hierarchy. For example, this could be communication between a boss and subordinates.

Communication goals

The goal is the strategic result that each participant in the interaction strives for. In essence, interpersonal relationships are the desire of both parties for a pre-thought-out outcome. Goals can be completely different

• Getting help.
• Self-expression.
• Finding a partner for entertainment.
• Seeking emotional support.
• Training or education.
• Introduction to cultural principles.
• The desire to dominate a weaker partner.

The most popular purpose of communication for young girls is simply to share experiences. For young students, this is an exchange of thoughts and a community of interests.

Interpersonal relationships and interactions will only be built when both find this communication mutually beneficial and consistent with their moral values ​​and goals.

Ways to improve interpersonal communications

Any communication involves the interaction of people with each other. In order for every conversation to be successful, psychologists pay a lot of attention to the development of interpersonal communications. By adhering to the following rules during contact with an opponent, you can significantly improve interpersonal communications:

Learn to abstract yourself from psychological barriers, which are a significant obstacle to fruitful communication. Internal barriers can arise quite often during a conversation. You can avoid them by concentrating on important points during the conversation. Don't forget about good manners and charm. Many people have access to such a “superpower” as charisma, thanks to which they can get everything they need from communication without any problems. This trait is not exclusively an innate quality, which means that it can be developed. Say “no” to psychophysical clamps. Loose or too constrained body movements will become a signal to the interlocutor about the presence of psychological and physical abnormalities. Perhaps the opponent will not be able to give a clear definition of this state, but he will immediately sense that something is wrong. In this regard, the success of your conversation will be in great question.

To avoid such cases, it is important to be able to relax during a conversation and, of course, to train. Become a protégé. If among your friends or acquaintances there are people who are excellent at communication, then you should try to watch them and imitate

By adopting an already proven model of behavior, you can achieve significant success. Talk as much as possible, especially for very shy people. Conversations on abstract topics about which everyone can express their opinion can help save you from feeling embarrassed: about the weather, about gasoline prices or traffic jams. This simple secret will help improve interpersonal relationships. Communication implies active interaction between individuals, but we should not forget that all people are different, and the approach to each should be purely individual. By communicating daily on a variety of topics with those around you, be it a work colleague or a supermarket clerk, you will gain invaluable experience in communicating in different styles and increase your self-confidence. Master the art of asking questions. Scientific research has shown that asking the right question is half the solution to the problem. During the conversation, the correct and accurate question will be the one that the opponent wants to answer and think about. In order to get a communication partner to talk, it is worth using open-ended questions, which usually begin with the words “why”, “why”, “how”, etc. In addition, during the conversation it is important to soften the questions so as not to offend the interlocutor.

The relationship between the level of interpersonal interaction of the individual and its development

One of the most important characteristics of an individual’s interpersonal interaction is the level of its development of socio-psychological perception and reflection. By socio-psychological perception we understand the process of adequate perception, awareness and experience by a person of the relationships between people with whom he interacts. Social-psychological reflection is understood as the process of a person reflecting his own “I,” understanding, and experiencing his relationships with other people. In socio-psychological perception and reflection, a person develops personal perception and reflection - mental formations (personal qualities) that allow him to understand the relationships between people and predict the development of his own relationships with people. In modern psychology it is known that sociometric status, the level of socio-psychological comfort, the presence of the first circle of desired communication, the motivation of interpersonal relationships, socio-psychological perception and reflection are the most important characteristics of personality development and are inextricably linked with all components of the personality structure. However, another significant characteristic of interpersonal interaction is not always taken into account, which is defined as its level of development. Most often, in Russian psychology the levels of communication were considered in this context. We agree that at lower levels (primitive, manipulative, business), the activity of the individual is manifested to a greater extent in behavior, namely in communication. At higher levels (intimate-personal, spiritual), the internal activity of the individual (thoughts, experiences, relationships) plays a huge role.

Interpersonal interaction consists of contacts. Any contact between a person and another person has its own structure and, as a rule, includes the following five phases: motivation, entering into contact, action, leaving contact, analysis. The expanded interaction proceeds according to the following scheme:

The first phase of contact represents an awareness of the purpose and motives of communication, relationships with a specific person, as well as hypothetical constructions in the internal plan of possible options for carrying out contact. At this stage of contact, a person can think through advantageous positions for achieving communication goals. So, for example, if a person simply needs to satisfy the emotional need for communication, then he can choose the “nearby” position (according to E. Berne “adult-adult”). If you want to subjugate your interlocutor, the position “from above” is chosen (according to E. Berne “adult - child”), if it is necessary to evoke sympathy, they prefer the position “from below” (according to E. Berne “child-adult”).

The second phase - “making contact” - includes clarification of the specific communication situation on the spot, perception of the interlocutor, his posture, facial expression, disposition to communicate, distance to the interlocutor. At this stage, the charm of the interlocutor is of great importance for the further development of communication. There are different natures of charm. You can observe the “charm of youth”, which young people themselves do not even think about. The sparkle of the eyes, the spontaneity of movements, open postures - these reactions can often trigger the desire to communicate. There is the charm of spectacular appearance, the charm of humor, the charm of femininity and masculine charm, the charm of intelligence and the charm of unstoppable strength. Charm depends not only on natural data, but can be achieved by special psychological techniques and methods. In psychology, there is a term “fascination”, which translates as “bewitchment”. Among the methods of fascination one can single out a special captivating look (stern but kind), a special voice rich in timbre, a special rhythm of speech (at the right moments it can calm or excite), a special mindset that allows you to build verbal structures in accordance with the situation and expediently use pauses. At this phase of communication, mutual assessment of the interlocutors occurs, the current role is grasped, and readiness for direct action of communication is formed.

The third phase “action” involves informing the interlocutor by verbal and non-verbal means, establishing feedback, receiving information from the interlocutor and further exchange of information, emotions, states. At this stage, special means and techniques are important to support communication. If communication is interrupted, the interlocutors return to the second, and sometimes to the first phase of communication. Repeatedly returning one of the interlocutors to the first phase can destroy his motivation to communicate.

The fourth phase, “exiting contact,” includes verbal and nonverbal means that prepare communication partners for its completion. These may be certain movements (looking at the clock or at strangers), inadequate reactions to contacts (extra-long pauses, a skeptical smile, facial expressions and gestures of displeasure and a desire to end communication), summing up the conversation, moving the continuation of the conversation to a more convenient place and to more convenient time.

The fifth phase, “contact analysis,” involves an analysis of communication, in which each interlocutor internally sums up the results of communication, compares the initial goals of communication with its results, realizes his advantages in the technique and content of communication, and critically evaluates mistakes in the choice of positions and means of communication. In this phase of communication, it is necessary to remove all negative emotions (irritability, aggression, anger, envy, etc.) associated with possible dissatisfaction with communication and psychologically prepare yourself for new contacts with different people.

In order to develop interpersonal interaction with people, it is necessary to objectively analyze the level of one’s own communication, communication of employees, clients, and for such an analysis knowledge of the structure of contact and its phases is required.

Interpersonal interaction has the following levels: primitive, manipulative, business level, “entertainment” level, “game” level, intimate-personal level, spiritual level.

We characterize the interaction of different levels. At the first three levels, it is possible to record behavioral acts, as a rule, acts that manifest themselves in the external component of interaction - communication. Subsequent levels of interaction involve greater inclusion of characteristics of communication, joint activities and interpersonal relationships.

The primitive level is characterized by the fact that in communication at this level it is difficult to identify the means of all phases with the exception of the third - “action”. A person unconsciously or consciously does not set himself the goal of interaction, communication is determined by unconscious motives (attraction, instincts, unconscious needs), a person does not look for appropriate means to establish contact with an interlocutor, does not predict communication, but immediately acts. After the action, he does not try to get out of contact and does not subject his act of behavior to analysis. “Mask communication” can also be attributed to the primitive level, in which a person addresses another person and receives a response to his appeal almost mechanically, without even changing his facial expression, without establishing visual contact.

The manipulative level of interaction involves communication, in which, as a rule, one can detect acts of two phases: the first - “incitement to contact” and the third phase - “action”. When manipulating, a person knows what he wants, he is well aware of the motive for interaction. With this level of interaction, its egoistic orientation is most often traced and therefore acts related to the second phase of “making contact” are ignored, and acts of “action” are immediately implemented: informing the interlocutor or receiving information, conveying one’s mood, etc. At this level of communication there is no need for acts of the fourth and fifth phases.

Business level of interaction. This level is characterized by the presence of acts of three phases: the first, third and fifth. Business communication is distinguished by conscious goals and motives; as a rule, the results of communication are predicted in advance, that is, the “incentive to communicate” phase is clearly distinguished. In business communication, the acts of the “getting into contact” and “leaving contact” phases are not detected, just as the person who communicates does not consider it necessary to know the state of the interlocutor, his experiences - the main thing for him is to achieve his own goals in interaction. Acts of the third phase of “action” are determined by joint activities and in their content differ in their focus on solving the assigned tasks. The results of business communication, as a rule, are subject to careful analysis, but the means and the process of communication itself fall out of the analysis. Business people often adhere to this level of communication and cannot understand that its effectiveness is not high, only because it is not detailed and complete in structure.

The “entertainment” interaction represents a fairly high level of interaction, since it contains acts of all five phases. The word “entertainment” in the name of this level is borrowed from the works of E. Berne [] and means that it figuratively resembles, for example, the entertainment of people in a situation of free behavior. Motives at the “entertainment” level of interaction can be weakly conscious or conscious. For example, a person who is going to visit knows the motives for his participation, assumes the composition of the company, the approximate content of communication, and possible non-verbal means of communication between individual guests and invitees (clothing, makeup, jewelry, emotional states, etc.). In such interaction, we can distinguish the acts of the “coming into contact” phase. For example, guests greet the hosts and everyone present in a special way, as a rule, with a smile, a welcoming look and gestures, handshakes, and with individual interlocutors and favorable physical contacts: symbolic hugs, kisses, touching, patting, presenting flowers, souvenirs, gifts, etc. P. The acts of the “action” phase are also distinguished by their deployment and openness. The acts of the “leaving contact” phase are also well expressed. People who complete communication say goodbye warmly, as in the acts of the second phase, communication is accompanied by a rich arsenal of non-verbal means, they make appointments, exchange phone numbers, promises, etc. A person who has completed communication at this level returns in his thoughts more than once to what happened, in fact, as a rule, he analyzes all his acts. It should be noted that all acts of “entertainment”, and especially those from the “action” phase, are egoistically directed. The entire process and content of this level of interaction is aimed at obtaining personal satisfaction, and not only satisfying one’s needs for communication, but self-affirmation, self-realization, and sometimes solving personal business issues.

The “game” level represents a complete communication developed in all phases, as well as at the “entertainment” level. The main difference between the “game” is that it is focused not on satisfying the egoistic needs of the individual, but on the process of communication itself. All acts, starting from the first phase of interaction, are aimed at how to organize, develop, maintain and continue communication. First, a person, in accordance with conscious motives, sets a goal, formulates for himself the tasks that need to be solved in communication, thinks through such a communication technique so that the interaction does not stop until the tasks are solved. The acts of the “making contact” phase involve a primary assessment of the psychological state of the interlocutor, his posture, muscle stiffness, openness to communication, and his reactions to establishing contact with the interlocutor using his gaze. Then you choose your own pose, congruent with the pose of the interlocutor, mentally establish a connection, as it were, as a “thread” between your eyes and the eyes of the interlocutor, other technical methods of establishing contact are used, and then the conversation just begins on a topic that is significant for the interlocutor, the dominant one in which can be listening to him , and, as a rule, expressing complete agreement with the interlocutor through non-verbal means. After the interlocutor has developed trust, the posture has become more open, muscle tension has been relieved, the gaze becomes open, it is necessary to begin the acts of the “action” phase, to lead the interlocutor to resolve issues that are determined by the purpose of communication. In interaction at the “game” level, even at this stage it is necessary to constantly monitor the interlocutor’s expression of interest in communication and support it in every possible way. In the fourth phase, “leaving contact,” the main tasks are to maintain established trusting relationships in communication, create the need for continued contacts and their prospects, and create moral satisfaction in the interlocutor from the communication process. Analysis of such communication is favorable for a business person in that at this level, as a rule, the results are most effective, the person himself experiences emotional satisfaction from the communication process, and seeks more advanced means and techniques of communication with new business partners.

The intimate-personal level of interaction is an expanded process, like “communication-game,” with the obligatory presence of acts of all the phases noted above and is distinguished by a pronounced focus on the interlocutor, on satisfying all his expressed needs. The most difficult thing at this level is to determine the leading needs of the interlocutor. That is why the most common reason that this level of interaction is not achieved is the attribution of one’s own motives for communication to one’s interlocutor, and then communication is nothing more than manipulation.

The spiritual level of interaction differs from all previously described levels of communication in that a person does not plan, does not think through the tasks of communication, its means and techniques, does not seek to control other people, and all his acts are presented in a detailed form within the process itself. The spiritual level of interaction is determined by the level of personal development, at which harmoniously, as in nature, the principles of truth, beauty, goodness and abundance prevail in a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. At this level of communication, a person does not allow selfish motives in relation to other people in his thoughts; when communicating with an interlocutor, he sees him as kind and beautiful, wishes him well-being and happiness, and knows how to unselfishly forgive the bad manners and moral blindness of his interlocutor. In communication there is no desire to own other people; the need to provide help to people in need is expressed. The spiritual level of interaction is optimal for personal development. The presented theoretical provisions show that interaction, like any process, develops, and its development is determined not only by the individual’s natural abilities to communicate and his social environment, but also by the conscious activity of the individual himself, his desires, knowledge, and skills.

Forms of interpersonal interaction

As a social being, man cannot help but communicate. Even when a writer creates a book in solitude, even in this case communication between him and the reader is assumed.

The following forms of communication are distinguished:

Friendly interaction is communication at a close psychological distance, which brings mutual pleasure and joy. Love is an intimate interaction between two people that leads to the development of both partners as individuals. Interaction in a student group or interest groups. Relationships within the work team. Communication in a psychological support group.

Relationships are divided in psychology into official and informal, personal and business. Establishing relationships and developing them is a delicate process that depends on many factors; and, first of all, from the ability to build social contacts.

Interpersonal interaction in a group is difficult to organize. The possibility of the group breaking up is high here; Without a good leader who can smooth out contradictions and give the team the mindset for high-quality teamwork, there will be no interaction.

Some people can maintain good friendly relationships with everyone in a business environment. These are people with high emotional intelligence and experience in the field of communications. They are social leaders by nature and, with the development of certain qualities, can become good managers.

Peculiarities

Each concept in science has characteristic features that need to be studied so that the object of study can be analyzed in more detail.

What features of interpersonal interaction are described by specialists in the field of social psychology?

• Multichannel. Interaction occurs at both verbal and non-verbal levels.
• Stages of establishing relationships.
• Productivity.
• Irreversibility. The emotional impact on a person is truly irreversible.

Another important feature for establishing relationships is having sufficient communication experience. Experience in communication is a set of ideas about successful tactics for establishing and maintaining the necessary distance in communication. Those who work in the “person-to-person” system must have such experience.

Basics of proper communication

The main problem of interpersonal relationships is a violation of communicative function. If a person does not know how to communicate correctly and is afraid to establish contacts with people, then any type of interpersonal relationships are unlikely to develop successfully.

Useful tips

There are several effective tips on how to learn to communicate with people:

1. Be interested in what the other person is saying. Learn to listen.
2. Watch your facial expressions. Smile more often.
3. Call your interlocutor by name more often. According to numerous psychological studies, the sound of one's own name is one of the most pleasant to the human ear.
4. Get rid of filler words. They make your speech vulgar and uncomfortable to hear.
5. Develop a culture of speech. When a person speaks correctly and beautifully, it is not only pleasant to listen to him, but also much more understandable. After all, the ability to clearly and clearly formulate your thoughts guarantees that the interlocutor will also understand them.

There are situations when, during communication, people cannot find the right words, do not know what to talk about and how to build a constructive dialogue. As a result, misunderstandings arise in relationships.

Communication mistakes

What communication mistakes should you try to avoid so that types of interpersonal relationships are not at risk of unfavorable development?

1. Watch your tone, facial expressions and gestures. Avoid an indifferent tone, a bored look, skeptical assessments - such manifestations discourage the desire to continue communication.
2. The language barrier. This is not just a problem of people speaking different languages. Also, a language barrier can arise between people with different levels of development, age characteristics and speech culture. For example, you won’t be able to talk with children the same way as with adults, if only because most of the words and terms that adults use in conversation may be unknown to children.
3. Manifestations of social phobia. It happens that a person, for inexplicable reasons, feels afraid of communicating with people. This is why awkward situations and pauses arise when trying to establish contact with the interlocutor. If you are faced with a similar problem, then you need to show inner willpower and resilience to work on improving your communication functions.

Every person is born and lives in society throughout his life. Complete isolation is completely impossible. There are options to trim and reduce the types of interpersonal relationships, leaving only the most necessary areas of social connection. But without successful construction of social communication connections, harmonious personal growth and development is impossible.

Physiological basis of social interaction

In the 90s of the 20th century, a group of neurobiologists under the auspices of the Italian Giacomo Rizzolatti discovered a group of mirror neurons in monkeys. A group of special nerve cells are activated in the brain when the monkey sees someone else picking up food, such as a nut.

As it turned out later, humans also have them, and they react not only to body movements in space, but also to emotions. Interpersonal interaction is largely the work of these neurons. This is the biological basis of our social nature; justification for the empathy inherent in us from the very beginning.

Thanks to these neurons, a person learns to speak and act through imitation. And also learns to perceive emotions and build long-term interpersonal interactions; You need to somehow explain the behavior of another to yourself, especially if this person is of a different culture. It turns out that in order to build a relationship with another, we need to see ourselves in the other and let him know that we understand him.

Interpersonal communication, its psychology

The procedure in which individuals interact for the purpose of mutual knowledge, the development of relationships, as a result of which mutual influences on the behavior and views of the participants in such connections are manifested, is regarded as the psychology of interpersonal communication.

After all, communications (communication) turn out to be one of the key categories of psychology and are considered by it on equal terms with such categories as:

• Behavior
• Thinking
• Personality
• Relationship

What is meant by communication in psychology? First of all, human relations, implying various configurations of the general activities of individuals. Most often, communication and activity are recognized as different aspects of social human existence, or communication is understood as a separate element of a particular activity, considered in turn as a condition for communication. When communicating, people exchange their views, emerging ideas, and feelings.

The difficulties of interpersonal communication and interaction are manifested through the emergence of motivational and operational difficulties that correlate with the interactive and communicative aspects of communication. Characteristic signs are a lack of desire to comprehend the personality characteristics of the interlocutor, his interests and internal state. As a consequence, there are manifestations of communication problems with the desire to benefit from communication with the interlocutor through his deception, intimidation, or demonstrating extreme concern for him.

What does social psychology study?

Problems of interpersonal social interaction are assessed by specialists in the context of the following issues:

• Studying the cognitive (cognitive) processes of each participant in the interaction.
• Study of the constituent characteristics of the environment: spatial, social, physical characteristics. And the aspect of a social group is also taken into account - a student environment, a city council meeting or other association of individuals.
• The study of both the system of an individual and the influence of the environment on it.

Many scientists participated in the development of this social science - L.V. Smolina, Yasvina, Panova, etc.

Formation of interpersonal relationships

The development of interpersonal relationships is possible only under one condition - if the individual has the ability to establish contacts with people and find a common language with them. This is facilitated by ease and contact, trust and understanding, emotional attraction and acceptance, as well as the absence of a rigid program of manipulation and self-interest.

Interpersonal relationships ideally strive for trust, this includes the expectation of support and confidence that the partner will not betray or use the situation for harm.

In the process of trusting interpersonal communication, relationships deepen and psychological distance decreases. However, trust often develops into gullibility, which is expressed in the fact that an individual unreasonably believes a person’s word, despite pitfalls and disappointments.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Krysko V.G. Social psychology: Course of lectures – 3rd ed. – M.: Omega-L, 2006. – 352 p.; table, ill. - (Higher School Library.).

2. Lavrinenko V.N. Psychology and ethics of business communication: Textbook for universities. – 4th ed. reworked and additional – M.: UNITY-DANA, 2005. – 415 p.

3. Morozov A.V. Business psychology: Course of lectures. – St. Petersburg: Publishing house SOYUZ, 2000 – 576 p.

4. Stolyarenko L.D. Psychology of business communication and management. Textbook. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2005. - 416 p.

5. Shelamova G.M. Business culture and psychology of communication: A textbook for beginners. prof. education. — 7th ed., erased. - M.: Publishing House, 2007. - 160 p.

Levels of interpersonal relationships

Definition 4

The level of interpersonal relationships is the depth of a person’s involvement in interaction with other people (person).

The following levels of interpersonal relationships are distinguished:

1. The perceptual level of interpersonal relationships is the level of understanding and perception by partners of each other, awareness of individual personality, character traits, behavior and characteristics (gender, racial, external, national, etc.). At this level, interpersonal relationships between people are just emerging and developing. People recognize each other and begin to experience the first emotional reaction.
2. Mutual attraction or rejection is the level at which partners experience first feelings for each other (liking, antipathy, hostility, etc.). That is, there is a deeper acquaintance with the person.
3. The interactive level is a level characterized by the presence of emotional reactions that require constant feeding through interaction between people. So, if people feel sympathy for each other, then they strive to interact, collaborate, and communicate as much as possible. If, on the contrary, they experience negative feelings towards each other, then they try to avoid contact so as not to lead the situation to conflict.

Almost all types of interpersonal relationships go through all three levels of development. After reaching the third level, interpersonal relationships stop developing, as they have reached their maximum. In the future, the relationship may remain at the final stage, that is, people will experience established feelings for each other and their interpersonal relationships will be relatively “smooth.” It may also be that the relationship will change, based on a decline in emotionality and a decrease in the intensity of feelings for the partner. For example, once ardent love and passion can eventually turn into a habit or attachment, and strong hatred into ordinary hostility.

Often, people strive to maintain their relationships at a high level, for this purpose they resort to various tricks. This does not always bring the expected result; the situation can turn out completely opposite. For example, in order to revive the previous feeling of love, one of the partners may accuse the other of being “cold,” which as a result does not lead to a revival of love and passion, but, on the contrary, to the emergence of a conflict.

conclusions

So, interpersonal interaction is communication in a group that has some purpose. Communication is built either on an emotional basis or on a rational, business basis.

Success in interaction depends on the initial impression. If business partners subconsciously feel antipathy towards each other, they cannot agree. Conflicts and friction will arise in communication. Coordinating group communication requires a courageous and experienced leader with considerable experience in conflict resolution.

Types of relationships in society: social and interpersonal

In numerous articles on Internet sites, interpersonal relationships usually mean any relationship between people, including professional ones. However, recognized experts in the field of social psychology, both domestic (G. M. Andreeva, V. N. Druzhinin, N. N. Obozov, E. V. Andrienko, etc.) and foreign (T. Shibutani, J. Moreno , E. Bern, etc.) take a different position. It seems more correct to me. The essence of this point of view is as follows.

The entire variety of human relationships can be divided into two large groups: social and interpersonal, and they are fundamentally different from each other.

Social relations

They are of a role nature and develop between social roles, and not between specific individuals endowed with individual characteristics and characteristics of the emotional sphere. A role is a functional unit of society, and it is impersonal. That is, the totality of behavioral patterns of the role is in no way connected with a specific person. A person tries on a role like a suit. For example, in a work team there may be the following roles: director, deputy director, sales manager, secretary, system administrator, etc. And the relationships between them are determined by job responsibilities and stereotypes of role behavior.

The family also has its own roles: mother, father, husband, wife, daughter, son, brother, etc. Each role has its own socially defined pattern of behavior, its own functions, rights and responsibilities. They are related to the goals and objectives of a social group, and not to the personal qualities of its individual members.

Therefore, social relations are also not associated with individuals as unique and unrepeatable individuals, because the content of a social role does not change depending on who plays this role. Unless a bright personality colors the role, but does not change it.

Interpersonal relationships

A different matter is the interpersonal relationships that develop between individuals, which therefore differ in a number of features:

• They are based on feelings and emotional assessments by partners of each other.
• Personalities in them appear as unique individuals with their own unique characteristics of character and emotional sphere.
• Interpersonal relationships are formed gradually in the process of interaction between people.
• They are dynamic and can change over time, even to completely opposite ones.

A person can simultaneously act as a subject of both role and interpersonal relationships, and with the same partners. This makes the system of social interactions unusually complex and interesting.

Types and general characteristics of addictive behavior

Addictive behavior is understood as dependence on objects of inanimate nature, in contrast to the term “addictive behavior,” which is characterized by the desire to possess both objects of inanimate and animate nature (for example, dependence on other people). The main types of addictive behavior are addiction to psychoactive substances (tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, drugs), Internet addiction, and addiction to destructive cults.

In accordance with the listed objects, the following forms of addictive behavior are distinguished:

Ш chemical dependence (smoking, substance abuse, drug addiction, substance abuse, alcoholism);

Ш eating disorders (overeating, starvation, refusal to eat);

III gaming addiction (computer addiction, gambling);

Ш sexual addictions (bestiality, fetishism, pygmalionism, transvestism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, necrophilia, sadomasochism;

religious destructive behavior (religious fanaticism, involvement in a sect).

As people's lives change, new forms of addictive behavior emerge; for example, computer addiction is spreading extremely quickly today. At the same time, some forms are gradually losing the label of deviance.

Dependent (addictive) behavior is a form of deviant behavior of a person, which is associated with the abuse of something or someone for the purpose of self-regulation. The degree of severity of addictive behavior can be different - from almost normal behavior to severe forms of biological dependence, accompanied by severe somatic and mental pathology. In this regard, some authors distinguish addictive behavior from simply bad habits that do not reach the level of dependence and do not pose a mortal threat, for example, overeating or smoking. In turn, individual subtypes of addictive behavior represent continuums of various manifestations. For example, experts recognize that alcoholism (the clinical form of alcohol dependence) is not monolithic, and in fact it is more correct to speak of “alcoholism.”

An individual’s choice of one or another addiction object is partly determined by the specifics of its impact on the human body. As a rule, people differ in their individual predisposition to one or another object of addiction. The popularity of alcohol is largely due to the wide range of its effects - it can be used with equal success for stimulation, warming, relaxation, treating colds, increasing confidence and relaxation.

Various forms of addictive behavior tend to combine or transform into each other, which proves the commonality of the mechanisms of their functioning. For example, an experienced smoker, having given up cigarettes, may experience a constant desire to eat. A person addicted to heroin will often try to maintain remission with softer drugs or alcohol.

Consequently, despite the apparent external differences, the types of behavior under consideration have fundamentally similar psychological mechanisms. In this regard, there are common signs of addictive behavior.

First of all, addictive behavior manifests itself in a person’s persistent desire to change his psychophysical state. This desire is experienced by a person as impulsively categorical, irresistible, and unsatisfactory. Outwardly, this may look like a struggle with oneself, and more often - like a loss of self-control.

Addictive behavior does not appear suddenly; it is a continuous process of formation and development of addiction (dependence). Addiction has a beginning (often harmless), an individual course (with increasing dependence) and an outcome. The motivation for behavior is different at different stages of addiction.

Social communication

It includes the interaction of boys and girls in a group: with classmates and fellow students. Unlike communication based on interests, social contacts are not chosen. Being in a team, you have to interact with completely different people, and this skill will be significantly useful in the future. A mature and accomplished person should be able to communicate effectively with different people and take something useful out of every meeting.

Conflicts and misunderstandings among teenagers due to differences in interests are common. In such situations, hostility and rejection develop very quickly. Teenagers prefer to actively express their position and strive to express themselves as soon as possible.

Why do others influence us?

Every day we learn new information and exchange it with other people. All communication is based on mutually beneficial exchange of information. A person is afraid of being an outcast, therefore, even unconsciously, he strives to meet the requirements of his social group.

Traveling, meeting new people on a train or plane gives us new sensations, new communication experiences. A person can dramatically change their eating habits if they become friends with someone from another culture and spend a lot of time with them. And having made friends with a group of smokers, a person may start smoking, because it is psychologically uncomfortable to be a black sheep in a group. And there is a completely rational biological explanation for this - to build new contacts, we have mirror neurons in our brains, which help us imitate the actions of others, thereby understanding their “language,” and seeming like “one of our own” in the group.

Features and types of interpersonal relationships

Features of interpersonal relationships:

1. Interpersonal relationships are based on emotional and sensory assessments of partners.
2. The personality of each participant in interpersonal relationships acts as a separate and unique unit.
3. The formation of interpersonal relationships manifests itself gradually during the interaction of people.
4. Interpersonal relationships are dynamic and change throughout their existence. The change in the nature of interpersonal relationships can be dramatic “from positive to negative.”

Interpersonal relationships are usually divided into two main groups: negative and positive (positive).

Definition 2

Positive (positive) interpersonal relationships are relationships that are based on mutual trust and respect.

This group of interpersonal relationships includes:

• sympathy;
• attractiveness;
• companionship;
• mutual interest;
• friendship;
• mutual affection;
• Love.

The main feature of these interpersonal relationships is that at the beginning of their development they are not always based on common interests and goals; they are often completely opposite to mutual sympathy. That is, people begin to communicate with each other during work or educational activities. Gradually sympathy appears, people like to communicate with each other, common interests are revealed.

Definition 3

Negative (negative) interpersonal relationships are relationships that are based on rejection of certain personal qualities of a person, characteristics of his character or behavior.

Quite often, hostility can be unfounded, that is, a person is not able to explain why he has negative feelings towards another. The main reasons for these feelings are: various contradictions that arose during communication.

This group of interpersonal relationships includes:

• antipathy;
• hostility;
• mistrust;
• aggression;
• hatred;
• feeling of revenge.

Currently, in practical psychology they have begun to distinguish a third group of interpersonal relationships - neutral. The identification of this group causes a lot of controversy among researchers in the field of psychology. This is due to the fact that if a person does not experience any feelings towards another person, then there can be no talk of a relationship.

Psychology of communication

Contact between people is considered the most important moment in social life. Without it, many aspects of human existence simply would not have formed. That is why the study of this mental phenomenon, which has a complex stepwise structure, is considered relevant for all modern science.

The essence of interpersonal communication is the contact of a person with another person. With this, people satisfy their desire to exchange information. For example, when 2 people discuss a controversial situation or people in love whisper on a bench, that same contact occurs. Simply put, the existing problem or issue in the current case is resolved through communication.

Interpersonal communication is considered not only a necessary component of the joint activity of people, the implementation of which implies their cooperation, but also an integral condition for the normal functioning of their communities. In particular, consider a student group or construction crew. When comparing the style and manner of communication in these associations, both similarities and differences are revealed. The similarity is that communication appears to be a required condition for their existence in a given environment. By the way, the communication of the above-mentioned structures is influenced not only by the type of their activity, but also by other significant factors. Let’s say in a student group you need to know how everything is put together, check the collectivity of the group, as well as what dominates there, and other important aspects. The brigade, in turn, has completely different characteristics that differ from the students.

The specifics of interpersonal interaction everywhere depend on how everything is arranged inside, that is, how people react to each other, what their attitude is, how they understand each other, and so on. The communities to which an individual belongs develop standards of communication, set standards of behavior that the individual learns to follow every day when interacting with other people. These communities directly influence the development of his assessments, which shape his perception of other people, his attitude towards them and the manner of communicating with them. Moreover, the more effective the influence itself is, the more authoritative the community becomes in the eyes of the individual.

When in contact with other people, an individual can simultaneously act as both a subject and an object of communication. As a subject, he comprehends his own partner, determines his attitude towards him (interest or vice versa), influences him in order to solve some clear problem. Meanwhile, he himself appears as an object of knowledge for the one with whom he is talking. The partner addresses his emotions to him and tries to influence him.

Mechanics of Interpersonal Relationships

Psychology of Intergroup Relations

The complex psychology of the relationship between mother and adult son: tips

Levels of Communication

There are 6 main levels of communication, which were identified and described by A. B. Dobrovich.

1. The conventional level is reduced to simply following the unwritten rules of behavior in society.
2. Primitive. Participants do not seek to establish long-term communication, but only want to use the opportunities that they can provide each other.
3. Manipulative. When one partner in communication tries to use another, less experienced in social and everyday issues, and then reject his company.
4. And when communicating, the subjects of communication have a mutual interest in learning the roles of the other. This is communication between friends who sometimes spend time together and “work out” their social roles in order to improve them.
5. Business. In this interaction, people are not thinking about better performance or appearance; they are communicating with the goal of doing a better job together.
6. Spiritual level. Having reached the highest level of communication, people can recognize each other's mood by looking, without words. The goal is to know the deep essence of the other and your own, reflected in the actions of the other.

The level of communication a person chooses depends on his overall level of personal development and his views on the value of other people.

Interpersonal communication among youth

Adolescence and young adulthood are a critical period in the process of interpersonal evolution. From the age of 14, the formation of interpersonal relationships begins, in which attitudes towards subjects of reality play a different role: to older people, to parents, to classmates, to teachers, to friends, to one’s own personality, to representatives of other religions and nationalities, to patients and drug addicts.

The psychological world of a teenager is often turned to inner life; the young man is often thoughtful and fantasizing. The same period is marked by intolerance, irritability, and a tendency to aggression. By the age of 16, the stage of self-knowledge and self-affirmation begins, which is noted in increased observation. Gradually, among young people, the degree of what is unacceptable, as well as what is not accepted, tends to increase. This comes from the fact that young people become very critical of reality.

Problems of interpersonal communication among young people manifest themselves in the form of conflicts among students, which destabilize the emotional background in the team, in the group. Often, conflicts and quarrels among young people occur due to inability or lack of compassion and unwillingness to respect others. Often protests occur due to a lack of education, as well as a violation of the culture of behavior. Often the protest is targeted, i.e. directed against the culprit of the conflict situation. As soon as the conflict is resolved, the young man calms down.

In order to avoid such situations, adults are advised to maintain a calm, polite tone in communication. You should refrain from making categorical judgments about a teenager, especially when it comes to issues of fashion and music.

Adults need to try to compromise, give in in an argument, avoiding the red rag syndrome. It is especially painful if the scandal is observed by the young man’s friends or peers, so adults should give in and not be sarcastic, because only good relationships contribute to the improvement of relationships.

Processes of social interaction

Communication is built on the basis of reflection. Understanding the thoughts and intentions of another is impossible without mirror neurons. It is impossible to prepare for a performance without being aware of how others will perceive you.

Interpersonal interaction is a process of mutual desire to cooperate. And if one party does not want to compromise in communication or has reprehensible thoughts towards the other party, then communication will not take place.

What processes of interpersonal interaction can be identified? If we go deeper into the study of communication, then all communication comes down to the simple transmission of symbols - words or signs. Each transaction involves an initiator of communication and a recipient. The initiator transmits signs - this is the first process. The second process is accepting this information.

However, in order to correctly decipher the meaning of the message, there should be no barriers in communication. In addition, both sides of communication must have common cultural “points of contact” and belong to a single social level. Because transactions between different cultural layers are very difficult.