Interpersonal interaction

No person is able to live in complete isolation, some form of interpersonal interaction will certainly be present. This need for close, long-term interactions lives in each of us. It is explained by social and biological causes and is aimed at human survival.

Forms and types of interpersonal interaction

Psychology has long been interested in the question of interpersonal interactions and considers them through the prism of communication , since these phenomena complement each other, but it is not worth confusing these concepts.

Communication will certainly happen as a means of communication (transfer of information) of two or more subjects, it can be personal or indirect (mail, the Internet). But interaction does not always imply communication, which makes the latter a special case of various types of contacts. In social psychology, the term "interpersonal interaction" refers to the contact of two or more subjects, leading to a change in their behavior or mood. The three main tasks of this contact are: the formation of interpersonal relationships, interpersonal perception and understanding of man, the provision of psychological influence. To solve these problems, two main types of interaction are used: cooperation - progress towards the goal of one of the partners contributes to or does not interfere with the success of others, and rivalry - the achievement of the goal by one of the partners excludes or hinders the successful completion of the affairs of the others.

There is also a separation of interpersonal interactions by species:

1. Depending on the purpose - business, personal.
2. Depending on the modality - positive, negative, ambivalent.
3. Depending on the direction - vertical, horizontal. An example of such a relationship may be working contacts, in the case of communication with the authorities or subordinates, the focus will be vertical, when talking with colleagues - horizontal.

The complexity of the processes of interpersonal interaction creates a variety of classifications, some of which were listed above, but the concept will not be fully disclosed without mentioning the forms of their manifestation, which there are very many. The main of them are: friendship, affection, love, care, pastime, play, social influence, competition, conflicts and ritual interaction. The latter form is very common, differing in the special rules to which relations are subordinate. This helps symbolically express the social status of a person in a group, this form is invented specifically so that everyone can satisfy their need for recognition. Such rituals are used by everyone - when communicating with parents and children, subordinates and superiors, civil servants and sellers in the store. Each of the forms of interaction performs one of three functions - assistance in adapting to a new environment, cognitive or satisfying a person's need for contact with other people. This once again confirms the importance of the phenomenon, as well as its complexity.