Interpersonal Communication And Self-Discrepancy Theory

There are many components and theories within interpersonal communication that build off of each other and lead to others theories which develop to more complex and dependent topics of communication. With this development of communication in mind, it can be argued that the more important theories of interpersonal communication occur at the more basic elements of communication. It can also be supported that the biggest influence of interpersonal communication is the influence of self and the value of self worth. Because all other factors of interpersonal communication can be traced back to interpreting information based from individual’s experiences and self worth, it can be assumed that when constantly being influenced it can be strongly supported …show more content…
A person’s ideal self is the sum of all ideals and values that a person determines that they should be. A person’s ought self is the collective result of what expectations other people hold for that individual and the standards that that person should amount to. The difference between these two images of self is the basis of the self-discrepancy theory. The more similar these two images of self are, it can be assumed that a person is more satisfied and happy with their self worth and have less self discrepancy. While a more distant relation between the two images of self generally results in a less than satisfactory value of self worth and a larger self discrepancy. “On one hand, self-discrepancies may motivate individuals to minimize inconsistencies between their self-concept and important self-guides…On the other hand, mutually exclusive guides may actually demotivate” (Doyle p.1). The source of these self images leads to the resulting feelings and emotions that are brought about by achieving or failing to comply to the desired expectations of self. When individuals feel their goals were imposed by someone in their life, failure to achieve their hopes and aspirations evokes shame and embarrassment rather than dejection and disappointment. Likewise, failure to satisfy …show more content…
Every event that occurs or every piece of knowledge gained will influence our image of ideal-self. This in turn results in a constant updating of self-discrepancy. Because our picture of self-worth is so influential in our communication and relationships with other, this theory can arguably be an influence to all other aspects of interpersonal communication theories. If more research is preformed to simplify and identify the elements of self-discrepancy, this information can be used to further benefit the medical field in dealing with mental illnesses, mainly depression and anxiety. Because this theory plays such an important role in our everyday lives, it often goes unnoticed but determines the quality of our mental