In the present scenario of technical and modern advancement, human relation skills are very essential to bring about

productivity, work culture, essence of responsibility, and accountability. This has extended from industry and commerce to these professions, which deal more directly with human beings and their welfare. Nursing, medicine, social work, and psychology are some of them. For better performance of nurses as a professional, good citizen, and as a member of health care team, she should be skilled in the Sciences of Human Relations and Communications, which will enable her to understand human behavior and develop a positive attitude toward the profession.

Learning Objectives After studying the information and doing the exercises in this chapter, you should be able to:

Explain the meaning of human relations Pinpoint how work and personal life influence each other Explain how the self-concept influences behavior Summarize the nature and consequences of self-esteem Describe how to enhance self-esteem

Summary Human relations is the art and practice of using systematic knowledge about human behavior to improve personal, job, and career effectiveness. Work and personal life often influence each other in several ways. A high level of job satisfaction tends to spill over to your personal life. Conversely, an unsatisfactory personal life could lead to negative job attitudes. Another close tie between work and personal life is that your job can affect physical and mental health. Severely negative job conditions may lead to serious stress disorder, such as heart disease. The quality of relationships with people in work and personal life influence each other. Also, certain skills (such as the ability to listen) contribute to success in work and personal life. In recognition of the link between work and personal life, many employers conduct work/life programs, including an on-site child care center. A major rationale for these programs is that workers who have their personal lives under control can concentrate better at work. The challenge of balancing work and family demands is particularly intense for employees who are part of a two-wage-earner family. To be effective in human relationships, you must first understand yourself. Six methods for gaining self-understanding are to (1) acquire general information about human behavior and apply it to yourself, (2) obtain informal feedback from people, (3) obtain feedback from coworkers, (5) obtain feedback from self-examination exercise, and (6) gather insights in

psychotherapy and counseling. Be aware of the self-evaluation traps of highlighting your shortcomings and unrealistically over evaluating your competences. An important aspect of self-understanding is the self-concept, or the way a person thinks about himself or herself in an overall sense. The self-concept is based largely on what others have said about us. The work a person performs is an important part of the self-concept. A strong selfconcept leads to self-confidence, which is a basic requirement for being successful as a leader of a sales-person. Natural abilities contribute to a persons self-concept and level of self-confidence. Your body image, or your perception of your body, also contributes to your self-concept. A positive body image can help you in both your work and your personal life because it enhances your selfconcept. The relatively small-size groups to which a person belongs (such as a team or club) are other contributors to the self-concept. Self-esteem refers to feeling competent and being worthy of happiness. People with high selfesteem develop a positive self-concept. Self-esteem has two interrelated components: selfefficacy (a task-related feeling of competence) and self-respect. People with high self-respect are more likely to focus on the needs of others. Self-esteem develops from a variety of early life experiences. People who were encouraged to feel good about themselves and their accomplishments by key people in their lives are more likely to enjoy high self-esteem. Of major significance, self-esteem also results from accomplishing worthwhile activities and then feeling proud of these accomplishments. Praise and recognition for accomplishments also help develop self-esteem. Good mental health is one of the major consequences of high self-esteem. One of the links between good mental health and self-esteem is that high self-esteem helps prevent many situations from being stressful. Workers with high self-esteem develop and maintain favorable work attitudes and perform at a high level. A company with high-self esteem workers has a competitive advantage. A major consequence of low self-esteem is poor mental health. Workers with low self-esteem often develop and maintain unfavorable work attitudes and perform below expectations. A series of studies showed that students who based their self-esteem on internal sources generally received higher grades and were less likely to consume alcohol and drugs or develop eating disorders. Self-esteem can be enhanced in many ways. Accomplishing a worthwhile activity is a major contributor to self-esteem in both children and adults. Developing an appreciation of your strengths and accomplishment is another self-esteem builder. It is also important to minimize settings and interactions that detract from your feelings of competence. In addition, talk and socialize frequently with people who boost your self-esteem. Exaggerated self-esteem can sometimes lead to intolerance of people who are different than you. Despite the importance of self-understanding, guard against becoming too caught up in the self. Too much attention to the self can lead a person to be self-centered, self conscious, and

uninterested in other people and the outside world. Another problem is that failure to attain aspirations can lead to negative self-evaluation. The negative evaluation may lead to escapist behavior, such as alcoholism. Major benefits of studying human relations includes (1) acquiring information about human behavior, (2) developing people skills, (3) coping with job problems, and (4) capitalizing on

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