Comm 492 Internship Essay 2

Paper #2 Interpersonal Paper

        While obtaining my undergraduate degree I have taken two undergraduate classes pertaining to interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication has been interesting to learn about as it is something that can be applied to everyday life between friends, family, strangers, significant others, and coworkers. Through interpersonal communication it is possible to have healthy relationships at work, and to be able to handle situations professionally, and effectively. Through learning about the different theories of interpersonal communication it is easier to analyze different situation while working at my internship. Some theories that have assisted in my performance during my internship are Social Exchange Theory, Social Penetration Theory, and Uncertainty Reduction Theory.

        When I first received the interview at Hodges Collection I felt I was both excited and nervous to go to the interview. The uncertain feeling I experienced made me think back to Uncertainty Reduction Theory which has to do with people interacting for the first time and the need to reduce uncertainty levels. In order to attempt to reduce some uncertainty I used a passive strategy and looked up the company and read the about section which told me some information about my supervisor. I also looked over interview tips to help give myself confidence which I can use to self-monitor my behavior during the interview. Uncertainty Reduction Theory helped me identify my feelings before the interview but Social Exchange Theory assisted me after I got the job.

        Social Exchange Theory is the theory that states people outweigh the costs and benefits of each relationship, “social exchange perspective that most behaviors, including those within our interpersonal relationships, can be explained from a profit-motivated standpoint” (Ribarsky 29). During my internship at Hodges Collection I was not the only intern, there were always at least five other women. All the interns at this company are always working with each other or near each other, because of this relationships are formed. Social exchange theory helped me in thinking of the costs and benefits of befriending my coworkers. There ended up being more benefits than cost the benefits were being able to work well together, feeling comfortable asking for help, and making my time as an intern more memorable. The only costs I could think of is that there could be times a friendship could be distracting while at work. Through the course of my internship I never let friendships get in the way of doing a good job and it only ended up being beneficial to have some sort of a relationship with my coworkers.