Intra- and

Interpersonal
Competencies
Week 1:
Knowing and Valuing Yourself
Today’s Rundown

1. Course Introduction 2. Who Are You?

3. Influence from 4. Influence from 5. Guidelines for

Particular Others Generalized Others Improving Self-concept
What is IIC?

•Intrapersonal = within yourself

•Interpersonal = between other people

•Competency = the ability to do something successfully

“
T he greatest joy in life is to know oneself
from the inside out

(Adams, 1987)
Who Are You?

•Class activity:
• In groups of 2-3
• Starting with “I…/ 我…” ,
use 5 sentences to describe
yourself
You may have said

• Your name
• Race/ethnicity
• Religious beliefs
• Your role in society (e.g. job, student)
• Traits
• Hobbies, skills, passions

These add up to form your self-concept

Self-concept
Self-concept

• continuously evolves throughout life

• affects our motivations, attitudes, and behaviours

• formed from a combination of:

o Personal beliefs and values
o Experiences
o Interactions with others
Others

Particular Others Generalized Others

 Specific people who are significant  Broadly refers to others in society
to us
Influence from Particular Others

1. Direct definition
2. Reflected appraisal
• Self-fulfilling prophecies
3. Identity scripts
4. Attachment styles
 Direct
Definitions

Attachment Reflected
Styles Self-concept Appraisals

Identity
scripts
 Direct Definitions

Communications that tells us explicitly who we are by

directly labeling us and our behaviours (Wood, 2013)

For example:
Mum: Why didn’t you do your homework?
You are so lazy!
 Direct
Definitions

Attachment Reflected
Styles Self-concept Appraisals

Identity
scripts
 Reflected Appraisal

How we think others see and judge us

Self-fulfilling prophecy
“When an originally false social belief leads people to act in ways
that objectively confirm that belief” (Jussim, 2001)
 Reflected Appraisal

Self-fulfilling prophecy example

You believe that you are shy and cannot talk to others. Then, you
get invited to a party. What will happen?
 Direct
Definitions

Attachment Reflected
Styles Self-concept Appraisals

Identity
scripts
 Identity Scripts

Rules that define our roles and guide our

living (Harris, 1969)

E.g. “A good education is the key to success.”

 Direct
Definitions

Attachment Reflected
Styles Self-concept Appraisals

Identity
scripts
 Attachment Styles

Based on Attachment theory by psychologists John Bowlby and

Mary Aintsworth

The bonding between us in infancy and our caregiver affects who we

are and how we view relationships in later life

It may even predict our physical and mental health, academics, and
career
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjOowWxOXCg (0:00-4:07)
 Attachment Styles

• Secure
• Anxious / ambivalent
• Avoidant / dismissive
• Fearful /disorganized
(Hicks & Korbel,

You2013)
may find other terms used for the styles in different textbooks or journal articles –
this is because the theory has been developed by different researchers
Influence from Generalized Others

View held by others in society that may differ depending on

• Culture
• Race
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Socioeconomic class
Guidelines for improving self-concept

1. Get to know yourself

• Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses
• Understand how you react in different situations (both
good and bad)

2. Accept and embrace who you are – be kind to yourself!

Guidelines for improving self-concept

3. Build a support network

• Loneliness has serious consequences to mental and physical
health health

• Make sure you have people you can turn to for peer support
(friends, family, partner, etc.)

• Practice self-disclosure
 Open up to others so that they can know and understand you
(Hanna, Suggett & Radtke, 2010)
Minimizing risks of self-disclosure

• Proceed slowly in new relationship

• Revealing information personal but not
intimate
• Observe how others respond to your
communication and what they do with
it
• Observe whether others also disclose
personal information to you
Guidelines for improving self-concept

4. Continuously try to improve yourself

• Loving yourself doesn’t mean doing nothing about your
weaknesses
• Set SMART goals (more on this later)

5. Avoid contexts that are detrimental to your personal growth

• Remove toxic friendships and relationships
• Learn to say no
• Avoid self-sabotage
Conclusion

It is important to know
Your self-concept It is shaped by your
who you are so you can
continuously evolves experiences, thoughts,
continuously make
and changes throughout and the relationships
personal changes and be
your life around you
a better you

26 Annual Review
“
There is an expiry date on blaming your
parents for steering you in the wrong
direction; the moment you are old
enough to take the wheel, responsibility
lies with you.

- J.K Rowling
as cited in Peterson (2014)
 References
Adams, T. (1987). Living from the inside out. Self-published. 1331 Philip St., New Orleans, LA70130.
Corey, G., Corey, M.S., Wood, J.T., Weiten, W., Dunn, D.S., & Hammer, E.Y. (2016). Intra- and Interpersonal
competencies (Hong Kong edition). Cengage Learning.
L. Jussim, Self-fulfilling Prophecies, Editor(s): Neil J. Smelser, Paul B. Baltes, International Encyclopedia of the Social
& Behavioral Sciences, Pergamon, 2001, Pages 13830-13833, ISBN 9780080430768,
https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/01731-9.
Hanna, S. L., Suggett, R., & Radtke, D. (2010). Person to person: Positive relationships don’t just happen (5th ed.).
Prentice-Hall.
Harris, T.J. (1969). I’m OK, you’re OK. Harper & Row.
Hicks, A.M., Korbel, C. (2013). Attachment Theory. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral
Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_939
Peterson, Katiah. (2014). The Wisdom in Irony: J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Commencement Address to Harvard University.
Wood,J.T. (2013). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters (7th ed.). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.