Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

oped his basic theory of , which proposes that individuals differ in the degree to which
they can control their behaviors following the appropriate social rules and norms involved in interpersonal
interaction. 67 In this theory, Snyder proposes that there are some individuals adept at selecting
appropriate behavior in light of the context of a situation, which he deems high self-monitors. High
self-monitors want others to view them in a precise manner (impression management), so they enact
communicative behaviors that ensure suitable or favorable public appearances. On the other hand, some
people are merely unconcerned with how others view them and will act consistently across differing
communicative contexts despite the changes in cultural rules and norms. Snyder called these people low
self-monitors.
Interpersonally, high self-monitors tend to have more meaningful and satisfying interpersonal
interactions with others. Conversely, individuals who are low self-monitors tend to have more
problematic and less satisfying interpersonal relationships with others. In romantic relationships, high
self-monitors tend to develop relational intimacy much faster than individuals who are low self-monitors.
Furthermore, high self-monitors tend to build lots of interpersonal friendships with a broad range of
people. Low-self-monitors may only have a small handful of friends, but these friendships tend to have
more depth. Furthermore, high self-monitors are also more likely to take on leadership positions and
get promoted in an organization when compared to their low self-monitoring counterparts. Overall, selfmonitoring
is an important dispositional characteristic that impacts interpersonal relationships.
Key Takeaways
• Personality and temperament have many overlapping characteristics, but the
basis of them is fundamentally different. Personality is the product of one’s social
environment and is generally developed later in one’s life. Temperament, on
the other hand, is one’s innate genetic predisposition that causes an individual to
behave, react, and think in a specific manner, and it can easily be seen in infants.
• In both the scientific literature and in pop culture, there are many personality/
temperament schemes that involve four specific parts. Table 3.1, in this chapter,
showed a range of different personality quizzes/measures/tests that break
temperament down into these four generic categories.
• In this section, we examined a range of different cognitive dispositions or personalsocial
dispositions. The cognitive dispositions (general patterns of mental processes
that impact how people respond and react to the world around them) discussed
in this chapter were the locus of control, cognitive complexity, authoritarianism,
dogmatism, emotional intelligence, and AO. The social-personal dispositions
(general patterns of mental processes that impact how people socially relate to
others or view themselves) discussed in this chapter were loneliness, depression,
self-esteem, narcissism, Machiavellianism, empathy, and self-monitoring.
Exercises
• Complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter®-II (KTS®-II; http://www.keirsey.
com/sorter/register.aspx). After finding out your temperament, reflect on what
your temperament says about how you interact with people interpersonally.
Interpersonal Communication 100