Introduction

This introductory chapter, reflects more fully upon the importance of social rewards in directing our relationships with others, influencing our attitudes and feelings towards them and shaping our behaviour. Social rewards are of the utmost importance in interpersonal transactions and their effects wide-ranging. The past decade has witnessed a burgeoning awareness of the indispensability of effective levels of interpersonal communication to acceptable standards of practice in many professional circles. A useful starting point is with the notion of goal which is taken to contribute direction and impetus to the interactive process. These mediate between the goal which is being pursued, perceptions of information contributed through feedback, and the responses which are made in consequence. Feedback is a fundamental feature of communication and without it prospects of skilled engagement are denied. It has become increasingly recognised over recent years that interpersonal communicative competence is an integral part of effective practice in many professional circles including education and management.