Intrapersonal Communication

Intrapersonal communication is defined as communicating with oneself. Some scholars have expanded communicating with oneself to include a vast range of cognitive behaviors, mental entities (e.g., traits), and knowledge and processes (e.g., association and comparison). This entry distinguishes the study of mental entities and processes from intrapersonal communication, though both are close relatives often carrying the label “intrapersonal.” This entry further distinguishes between using the term intrapersonal to refer to cognitive behavior broadly defined versus using the term intrapersonal communication to refer to internal processes of communication (e.g., interpretation of messages from others, determining goals and tactics, self-assurance, self-discovery, and self-delusion). With an understanding of intrapersonal communication as a distinct area of study, this entry also considers how the Internet has been used to carry ...