Lexi Dittrich, CTP Blog #1

While I can't help but value all five of the forms of communication--intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass--my recent studies of these five have unearthed a fondness in me geared towards intrapersonal and interpersonal communication. Then again, I suppose most everyone holds their favor in interpersonal as that is our main form of daily communication. Interpersonal communication is what we do when we sit with a friend for coffee or chat with someone about the latest box office hit: it is communication, verbally and physically, which conveys our thoughts and ideas to one other person. Interpersonal communication is what builds and defines the bonds we hold with one another--either through deep conversation or through regular, pointless phatic conversation--and it is what primarily fulfills humanity's need for relationship. In contrast, intrapersonal communication is the type of communication people have with only one person: themselves. Intrapersonal communication is the debate that you hold within on whether to participate in the spring theater production or continue with your sport; it is the babble or silly joke you think to yourself while you wait to take your clothes out of the dryer; it is your creative process and first editor: the voice you chat with every day in your mind is the voice of your ability to intrapersonally communicate.

 

(Photo courtesy of http://thecreativeorganization.com/critical-thinking/)

Now, what equally fascinates me about these two aspects of communication are the human behaviors behind them both. I find it interesting how people tweak and alter their way of interpersonal communication depending on who they are talking to, what they are talking about, or what they wish to talk about. It is also intriguing to see the techniques people use to persuade their conversation partners to make certain decisions or to take a certain side on a situation. Additionally, I am quite interested in how intrapersonal communication is a pathway for personal problem solving, or how speaking to one's self helps us to analyze our world and our lives in this world. Negative intrapersonal communication is intriguing as well, in that a negative set of inward conversations with ourselves affects how we behave outwardly when we interpersonally communicate or communicate in a group.

While the above topics do interest me, these elements only scratch the surface of what I am interested in on a broad, professional scale. What my career may be, I have only barely a clue. What I do know for a fact is that I need to utilize my writing and editing skills within my career and that I need to make a living changing my world for the better. With my knowledge and love for politics, perhaps I could be a speech writer, a political researcher, a lobbyist or activist on political committees, etc. Working for a non-profit has also caught my eye, so as to directly help communities with my organization, and copy writing has intrigued me as well: I would love to edit something like a magazine or a news paper to keep lewd or nonfactual information off of the presses. With all of the possibilities for my communications major, perhaps I will be able to converge all of these interests into one career. More than anything, I would like to keep my options open and see what is in store for me, letting God and the course of time determine where I will ultimately set my lifelong anchor.