Interpersonal Communication Demonstrated in the Movie, One Flew Over Th

Interpersonal Communication Demonstrated in the Movie, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Communication is an essential part of our lives. It is through the process of communication that we are able to make contact, and thus develop who we are in relationship to others. Interpersonal communication is a specific type of communication in which the people involved are contacting each other as persons, and through an ongoing process, defining who they are for each other. In the following pages, I will explain six concepts related to the study of interpersonal communication. Following each explanation, I will give examples of how each concept is demonstrated in the movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". In doing so, I hope to show that the concepts introduced in interpersonal communication can be applied to our everyday lives. Personal versus Impersonal Communication Each day we engage in various types of communication. Strange as it may sound, each time we speak with someone, we are not necessarily engaging them as a person. Sometimes, we just want to cash a check at the bank or pay for our groceries without creating anything deeper. Other times, we might want to discuss our feelings with a friend or introduce ourselves to someone new. Whatever the case may be, the type of communication that we engage in will be more personal at times, and more impersonal at other times. One way to envision this, is to imagine the communication events of our day lying somewhere on the impersonal--------------- interpersonal continuum. There are five characteristics that distinguish the personal from the impersonal: uniqueness, measurability, choice, reflectiveness, and addressability. Uniquen... ...nherently good or bad, but each serves its purpose depending on the context in which it occurs. Communication involves cues that can be best understood as parts of a continuum. This continuum ranges from cues that are primarily verbal (words), to mixed(pitch, tone of voice), to primarily nonverbal (facial expression, gestures, appearance). In any given communication situation, all of these ques work together in the process of negotiating selves. This process involves constructing and responding to definitions of ourselves and definitions of the people we are communicating with. Contact and communication is what makes us human. The quality of our communication is directly related to the quality of our lives, both physiologically and spiritually. For this reason, learning effective communication skills should be important to all of us.