Danielle Victoria S.

Saavedra
HUMSS 12 - Comte

Recall the discussion on intrapersonal communication. What is its importance and why is it still
considered a level of communication even if it does not involve 2 people? Write a short essay
explaining your answer. (Cite reference/s)

Intrapersonal communication takes place when one communicates with oneself. It can be
expressed in various ways, including verbally, in writing, and through random thoughts (Bahsin,
2021). Bahsin (2021) maintained that there are advantages to this level of communication: a.) It
guides people to understand themselves and their emotions. It dictates everything for them; b.) it
helps them grasp and comprehend the situations of others by occasionally trying to put
themselves in the shoes of others to acknowledge how they feel; c.) It allows people to deal with
a wide range of situations such as family, finances, school, and work, among others; d.) Problem
analysis becomes easy, and decision-making and problem-solving processes are improved.
However, one disadvantage of it is that there is no feedback, resulting in a one-sided
conversation; misjudgments or misunderstandings may occur (interObservers, n.d.). Self-talk,
acts of imagination and imagery, and even recall and recollection are all examples of
intrapersonal communication (McLean, 2005) .
Intrapersonal communication holds importance to everyone. According to Wasim (2020),
although the mentioned level of communication takes place within a person's mind, it serves as
the foundation for all other forms of communication. People's comprehension and response to
what they hear and read are influenced by the extent and quality of their communication with
themselves. To communicate effectively with others, one must first learn to communicate with
oneself. An individual’s temperament, emotions, experience, knowledge, opinions, views,
values, and attitudes all have an impact on the thoughts and ideas that flow through the mind.
Furthermore, intrapersonal communication can be viewed as a prerequisite for effective
interpersonal communication. Effective communication necessitates the communicator's positive
attitude.
Even if intrapersonal communication does not involve two people, it is considered a level
of communication. Bittner (1991 as cited in Alemoh, 2019) asserts that "...intrapersonal
communication, communication within ourselves, is the foundation of all other types of
communication." In summary, if someone passing by says good morning to another, the target
recipient of the greeting will first consider how to respond to the greeting. Some scholars
consider this type of thinking to be intrapersonal communication, which now serves as the
foundation for an interpersonal communication exchange. According to this school of thought,
this is the stage of communication in which the individual engages in a sort of selection process
in terms of coding, structuring, and sending the message to the intended receiver.
Similar to the notion of Bittner, Hasan (2014) defined intrapersonal communication as
"the most fundamental of the communication contexts or levels. It happens when a person sends
and receives messages internally." She further said, “…our thought process is nothing but intra-
personal communication where one person is sending messages and the same person receives
them”. In this context, the author maintains that the individual can be both the sender and the
receiver. She explained, “Here we use the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous
system (PNS) for generation, transmission, and recovering [recovery] of messages.” Hasan
further continues, “In addition to our thoughts process, many times we also talk aloud with
ourselves” and concludes that “Intrapersonal communication is not just a level of
communication, it is in fact the very basis of all communication.”

Reference
Alemoh, T. A. (2019). Fundamental Issues in Conceptualizing Intra-Personal Communication. NTAtvc
Journal of Communication, 3(2), 148-154.
Bahsin, H. (2021, October 18). Intrapersonal Communication – Definition, Meaning, Types and Forms.
Marketing91. https://www.marketing91.com/intrapersonal-communication/
Hasan, S. (2014). Mass communication principles and concepts (2 ed.). New Delhi: CBS Publishers &
Distributors.
interObservers. (n.d.). The Importance of Intrapersonal Communication and How to Improve Your Skills.
interObservers. https://interobservers.com/intrapersonal-communication/#:~:text=Intrapersonal
%20communication%20skills%20are%20the,that%20align%20with%20our%20wants
McLean, S. (2005). The basics of interpersonal communication. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Wasim, M. [ecotechmanage]. (2020, December 31). 4 6 Importance of Intrapersonal Communication.
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl_1mpfC-ko&t=540s