Interpersonal interaction is the communication between two or more people, either by chance meeting or intentionally, as a result of which both have new thoughts and ideas.
Communication in a group studies social psychology. This science explores the individual psychological characteristics of the behavior of each member of the group and improves the social atmosphere by finding a common denominator for the participants.
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, physicalcharacteristics. And the aspect of the social group is also taken into account - the student environment, the meeting of the city council or other association of individuals.
- Study as a 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.
Interpersonal interaction and learning
In the process of interaction between people, the sphere of consciousness is constantly expanding and learning new social roles. The most effective learning occurs in adolescence, before the age of 21, when the brain is most active.
For the development of social activity, it is required that during the school years he receive an education based on freedom of expression and support for active behavior, and not passive.
For the development of social activity of the student, there is a model of the educational environment developed by V. I. Panov. The model is based on the scientist's belief that learning should come from the inclinations and interests of the student.
Social Interaction Processes
Communication is based on reflection. Understanding the thoughts and intentions of another is impossible without mirror neurons. Preparing for a performance is impossible without knowing how others will perceive you.
Interpersonal interaction is a process of mutual desire for cooperation. And if one side does not want to compromise in communication or has reprehensible thoughts towards the other side, then the communication will not take place.
Whatprocesses of interpersonal interaction can be distinguished? If you go deep into the study of communication, then all communication comes down to a simple transmission of symbols - words or signs. Each transaction involves the initiator of communication and the addressee. The initiator transmits signs - this is the first process. The second process is acceptance of 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 should have common cultural "points of contact" and belong to a single social level. Since transactions between different cultural layers are very difficult.
Communication Levels
There are 6 main levels of communication, which A. B. Dobrovich identified and described.
- Conventional level - comes down to a simple implementation of the unwritten rules of behavior in society.
- Primitive. Participants do not seek to establish long-term communication, but only wish to use the opportunities that they can provide to each other.
- Manipulative. When one partner in communication tries to use another, less experienced in social and worldly matters, and then reject his company.
- And when communicating, the subjects of communication have a mutual interest in knowing the roles of the other. This is a communication of friends who sometimes spend time together and "work out" their social roles in order to improve them.
- Business. In this interaction, people do not think about the best performance or appearance, they communicate with the goal of doing a better job together.
- Spiritual level. Having reached the highest level of communication, people can recognize each other's mood by their eyes, without words. The goal is to know the deep essence of the other and one's own, reflected in the actions of that other.
The level of communication that a person chooses depends on the general level of his personal development and his views on the value of other people.
Forms of interpersonal interaction
As a social being, a person cannot but communicate. Even when a writer creates a book in solitude, communication between him and the reader is assumed.
Forms of communication are as follows:
- Friendly interaction - communication at a close psychological distance, which brings mutual pleasure and joy.
- Love is an intimate interaction between two people, leading to the development of both partners as individuals.
- Interaction in a student group or hobby groups.
- Relationships within the work team.
- Communication in a psychological support group.
Relationships are divided in psychology into formal and informal, personal and business. Establishing relationships and developing them is a delicate process that depends on many factors; and above all from the ability to build social contacts.
Interpersonal interaction in a group is difficult to organize. Here the possibility of the breakup of the group is great; without a good leader who can smooth out contradictions and give the team the mood for a quality jointwork, there will be no interaction.
Some people can maintain good friendships with everyone in a business setting. 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.
Why do others influence us?
We learn new information every day and share it with other people. All communication is built on a 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, a new communication experience. A person can drastically change their eating habits if they make friends with a representative of another culture and spend a lot of time with them. And having made friends with a company of smokers, a person may start smoking, because it is psychologically uncomfortable to be a black sheep in a team. And there is a completely rational biological explanation for this - to build new contacts, we have mirror neurons in our brains that help us imitate the actions of others, thereby understand their "language", and seem to be "ours" in the team.
Methods of human interaction with society
Psychologists describe 4 possible ways for an individual to interact with a team:
- Initiative type of behavior. The acting person himself influences the environment. He is able to changeconditions of interaction in his team, as he needs.
- Reactive type. A person is able to adapt to environmental conditions. But he does not affect her.
- Interpretive.
- Assessing - the social environment affects him, he himself remains passive, only reflexively evaluates what exactly is happening to him.
Naturally, those who choose an active position rather than a passive one are more successful in society.
Features
Each concept in science has characteristic features that need to be studied in order to analyze the object of study in more detail.
What features of interpersonal interaction do social psychologists describe?
- Multichannel. Interaction occurs on both verbal and non-verbal levels.
- Steps in establishing relationships.
- Performance.
- Irreversibility. The emotional impact on a person is actually irreversible.
Another important feature for establishing relationships is the presence of 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 “man-to-man” system should have such experience.
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 to a preconceived result. Goals can betotally different
- Getting help.
- Self-expression.
- Searching for a fun partner.
- Striving for emotional support.
- Education or education.
- Introduction to cultural principles.
- The desire to dominate a weaker partner.
The most popular communication purpose for young girls is simply to share experiences. For male students, this is an exchange of thoughts and a community of interests.
Interpersonal relationships and interactions will be built only when both find this communication mutually beneficial and in line with their moral values and goals.
Physiological basis of social interaction
In the 90s of the XX century, a group of neuroscientists 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 a monkey sees someone else pick up food, like a nut, in their hand.
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 foundation of our social nature; justification for 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; the behavior of another needs to be explained to oneself somehow,especially if that person is of a different culture. It turns out that in order to build a relationship with another, you need to see yourself in the other, and let him understand that we understand him.
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, businesslike one.
Success in interaction depends on the first impression. If subconsciously partners in business feel antipathy towards each other, they cannot agree. There will be conflicts and tensions in communication. Coordinating group communication requires a courageous and experienced leader with decent experience in conflict resolution.
