Research Paper on Emotions: Anger vs. Contentment

Introduction

In the daily dealings in the various contexts presented by life in the society, emotions are a central part of the way we interact and in shaping conversations and modes of operation. Specific emotions find use in different environments we find ourselves. Starting from our very homes, Children learn how to interact with their parents first by reading their moods way before they can learn to speak. From a very young age, they can differentiate happiness, anger, disgust, fear, love, anger, and sadness among others. As they take on the environment outside of their home and they grow working in this environment, they are well versed with the different moods to expect from others. In their social and professional contexts, their communication is greatly influenced by their ability to read emotions expressed they portray and those expressed by others (Ozanska-Ponikwia 4).

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These emotions are betrayed by the diction of choice, facial expression, reactions, and the body language portrayed. However, these aspects have been masked with the increasing adaptation of digital communication. Nonetheless, it is possible to outline the various form of expressing emotion even on these digital platforms.

From a psychological point of view, emotions are the complex states human beings find themselves in that contribute to physical and mental changes that in turn affect their thought patterns and the general behavior. Such an understanding provides a firm foundation to look at anger and contentment about how they affect interpersonal communication. Anger is the feeling of being agitated probably due to unmet expectations and discontent of some sort. Conversely, Contentment has everything to do with the satisfaction of the status quo. Though there is a myriad of emotion to sieve through in interpersonal communication, anger, and contentment are central to influencing how communication between individuals happens.

The purpose of this research paper is thus to explore the various propositions on how these emotions contribute to interpersonal communication. The paper will address emotions application to real-life scenarios, to the choice of words, and to the use of body language. The main papers body contains the literature review that shows the development of the interpersonal communication as a discipline and the consequent evolution of various as aspects of interpersonal communication to derived benefits of the specific application. The remaining section of the paper's body shares weighed aspects of anger and contentment, and how they shift interpersonal communication.

Literature Review

Interpersonal communication as a discipline is a relatively new discipline developed by a researcher in the post-world war ii periods. Despite that act, the field has found application in various areas. Additionally, researchers in fields of "communication science as mass communication, organizational communication, and communication technology" have found themselves referring to concepts developed for personal communication (Berger 3). The researchers were relatively young graduates who in the post-war period felt that the sole purpose of communication should be to influence. The research in interpersonal communication could later take a new dimension in the 1960s, as self- presentation through open and honest communication became a viable alternative to the previously hailed manipulative communication techniques (5). As such, interest in the in relationship development, intergroup communication, and emotional expressions has continued to grow. Over time, marked expansion in the context in which interpersonal communication research has been experienced.

Early scholar tried to define interpersonal communication as the communication between two or more people. Basing the definition on numerals raised issues with some of the researchers then pushing for an interpretation that took into account three levels namely; cultural, sociological, and psychological. Arguments put forward indicated clearly that the first definition had been faulty and that communication between two people was not necessarily personal. On a psychological level, for instance, interpersonal communication constituted being aware "about the unique personal characteristics and history" collaborates (Berger 8).

Scholars have also addressed interpersonal communication from a linguistic point of view. The sole purpose of this has been to assess how individuals "acquire language and what s/he can do with it, what happens when there are problems in acquisition, and how s/he learns to shift the modes from speaking to writing" (Antos et al. 1). Work done shows how language plays a role in the manifestation of the interpersonal relationships. Additionally, the emphasis put on the role of language and all its elements have in the development and maintenance of relationships within the concept of interpersonal communication. Language is one of the structures that make face-to-face communication a possibility. Despite that fact and the understanding developed assessments individuals use of language, the face-to-face communication is still a complex phenomenon. One that takes into account neural connections, vocalizations, head movements, eye gaze, body posture and movements, gestures, and facial expressions among other details (286).

In more specific approaches, publications have been focused on addressing aspects that "improve all aspects of personal interactions, relationship development, and communications" (Goldberg, and Rosenfeld 22). The soft skills developed are seen as adding to the synergy needed to achieve the success levels desired. Together with technical skills, people skills ease conflict resolutions, nonverbal communication body language; assist in establishing business relationships and effective teams, leadership, listening, and consensus building among other communication aspects.

Insights

A good number of times, interpersonal communication find the application at the level of family and marital communication. It is at this level that anger is more likely to manifests depending on the strength of our relationships, offering everyone a variety of emotional experience. Anger depending on someone's ability to control it may result in the most unpalatable of communication experience among individuals. People's ability to lose their cool and go for words that match how they feel is more natural and comes more naturally. Interpersonal communication in such cases becomes severely curtailed, possibly hampering any information exchange. If individuals realized the consequences that lay I wait for them due to poor emotional control, most interpersonal communication would be salvaged. It is still rife that emotions are not yet even understood emotions and feelings are registered first by our bodies (Burkitt 1).

Within the family and marital context still, contentment may psychologically help in improving communication among individuals (Freeman 43). The phenomena happen because it offers a more receptive attitude towards other and possibly word choices, body movements and gestures express the gratitude of some kind. The contentment allows for individuals to send out every ounce of positivity they can muster.

Works Cited

Antos (Ed.), Gerd et al. And Tilo Webehandbook Of Interpersonal Communication. De Gruyter, Inc., 2008
Berger (Ed.), Charles R. Interpersonal Communication. De Gruyter, Inc.
Burkitt, Ian. 1st ed., SAGE Publications, 2014
Freeman, Damien. Art's Emotions: Ethics, Expression And Aesthetic Experience. Taylor And Francis, 2014
Goldberg, Danny M., and Manny Rosenfeld. People-Centric Skills: Interpersonal And Communication Skills For Auditors And Business Professionals. 1st ed.
Ozanska-Ponikwia, Katarzyna. Emotions From A Bilingual Point Of View: Personality And Emotional Intelligence About Perception And Expression Of Emotions In The L1 And L2. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018.