Introduction
Intrapersonal communication can be defined as the type of communication that takes place within oneself, and it may be comprised of meditation, actions of inspiration, dreams, and self-talk. Intrapersonal interaction is significant since they assist a person to reflect upon the relevance of evaluating one’s own feelings, ideas, and thoughts. Furthermore, they help in the establishment of a link between self-ideology and intrapersonal communication. There are so many instances where such stimuli may provoke intrapersonal interactions as hunger, which may lead to a person talking alone on what they would prefer to eat. At other times when a person has panicked, they may use intrapersonal communication to be composed or when one is afraid they may talk alone to gain confidence. For a further understanding of this type of communication, it is critical to identify with the theories that are associated with it.
Theories Defining Intrapersonal Communication
The first theory is the self-efficacy theory that revolves around the ability of a person to address disputes and resolve a particular task amicably. The resolution to be successful in either academic, game, work, parenting to name but a few tasks are what is referred to as self-efficacy. The theory is associated with success since a person who has a high self-efficacy is said to have high self-worth, confidence, self-esteem, self-control, resilience, and is motivated ( Cherniss, 2017) . It is evident that a person who has a high self-efficacy is normally more successful than others. Students who fail their exams but do not lose faith but instead study hard because they believe they can do better are good examples to demonstrate self-efficacy.
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The second theory is the Health Belief Model (HBM) that tries to clarify and foresee health manners or attitudes. In this theory, a person is likely to take action (such as putting on a condom during sex) induced by thoughts of fear of contracting a disease if not put on; can avoid pregnancy; the use of condoms gives them the security that they are safe. The model was formulated based on four principles perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and perceived self-efficacy ( Galanis, Hatzigeorgiadis, Zourbanos, & Theodorakis, 2016) . The model has widely been used in the promotion of healthy behavior such as exercising and dieting to prevent risky healthy behavior such as smoking or overeating.
The third model is the theory of Reasoned Action that asserts that a person’s approach towards a manner, skewed customs, and observed behavioral governor, collectively outline a person’s behavioral intents and manners. A suitable example to justify the theory is a person who wishes to take his girlfriend out for a date, but the guy has no money hence the man as much as he wants to take her out, will not because of lack of money ( Hagger, Polet, & Lintunen, 2018) . Reasoned Action has been applied to provide development strategies for communication. This theory has further been used to evaluate studies, in restricting birth attitude, among other uses.
Attribution theory focuses on how people interpret occasions and how this relays to their opinion and manners. The model adopts that individuals attempt to establish the root cause of peoples’ mannerism. This model was developed in a three-level way in which first a person must experience a behavior through his sense organs. Secondly, the observer must believe that the observed experience was deliberately done and lastly, the observer must establish whether they believed deliberately made to do the behavior or not ( McQuail, & Windahl, 2015) . If the person was forced to do the behavior, then the source is attributed to the condition and if not the source is attached to the other person. This theory has been used broadly in education, clinical psychology, law, and clarification of the motivation levels of high and low performers.
The fifth model is the Trans-theoretical method and tends to comprise and assimilate principle elements from other models for a complex model applicable to a diversity of mannerism, settings, and population sizes. Moreover, the concept of levels of alteration is based at the core of the Trans-theoretical theory. The levels of alterations have established that individuals undergo a process of levels when refining their mannerism. The period an individual takes within one level is not constant; thus the activities necessary to take a person to the standard is not variable ( McQuail, & Windahl, 2015) . For instance, persons under the pre-contemplation stage are not ready to take any action time soon, while those in the contemplation level are preparing to make a decision. There is a preparation level under which the individuals are willing to take immediate action while those under the action level comprise persons who have refined their behavior after the action is the maintenance level that has people preventing deterioration of their newly adopted lifestyles.
The Protection Motivation theory was constructed to suggest an explanation of the realization of the levels of fear. Later modifications on the model made it more adaptive and were inclusive of convincing interaction, with an objective on the intellectual processes initiating alteration of behavior. For instance, in the experiment aimed at reducing alcohol intake, convincing messages were used to define the horrible outcomes of carefree drinking to junior high schools ( McQuail, & Windahl, 2015) . Two categories were used for the experiment with the first receiving messages with the alarming context of the high probability of occurrence (high fear group). While the second group received messages that with no threatening outcomes thus the high fear group showed more willingness to abstain from drinking.
The seventh model is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) that targeted to clarify mannerism under which individual exercise self-control. The theory has been used widely in the health sector to impose on such behaviors as breastfeeding, smoking, drug and substance abuse, drinking, and health services utilization to name but a few. In the Theory of Planned Behavior, six elements define an individual’s control collectively. The attitude, behavior objectives, social norms, perceived power, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control form the basis of the TPB. Regardless of these elements, the model has a number of limitations that make it more suitable to the public health domain.
The eighth model is the Extended Parallel Process Model that asserts that individuals who are threatened tend to take one of two actions. One of the actions is danger control that is described as trying to minimize the risk associated or the fear control where the individual aims at minimizing the perception of risk associated. In danger control, the individual believes there is a better way of resolving the threat while in fear control the individual automatically assumes the action when they fail to take the danger control method (Zonouzy, Niknami, Ghofranipour, & Montazeri, 2019) . Hence, when an individual is expected to take action, they are first exposed to the problem and then avail to them the intended solution to the problem.
Intrapersonal Interactions in the Life of Pie
Intrapersonal communication has been demonstrated profoundly in the movie “Life of Pie.” The movie adapted from a book under the same name shows the application of several theories under this type of communication. For starters, self-efficacy is seen in play when Pi, the leading character in the movie, collects the entire ration from the boat and shifts to the raft in trying to avoid Richard Parker. Pi thought with the entire ration piled on the raft he had nothing to worry about until when a whale attacks the raft, and he loses the whole ration ( Cherniss, 2017) . Pi Patel practices self-efficacy that enables him to confront the tiger and after searching the boat finds food and water. Furthermore, this theory helps him succeed by overcoming the fear of the tiger and manages to co-exist with the carnival within the same boat in the middle of nowhere.
Another intrapersonal theory connected to the movie is the Health belief model. Pi Patel narrates how he caressed his stomach and realized that he had not eaten an act that made his tummy feel hard and hollow. He had just lost his entire ration and faced the Bengal tiger who was eyeing him carefully (Barnlund, 2017) . The idea of not having food definitely would cause him to die while in that boat where the tiger was roaming in food could be present. Through the health belief model, Pi decides it would be healthy for him to overcome his fears and get into that boat. He does precisely that and is rewarded with seven cartons of an emergency ration.
The theories do not end there; intrapersonal communication can further be exemplified through Reasoned Action. This model is demonstrated when a man floats with a raft, and while they are getting acquainted with each other, Richard Parker grasps the man who has no idea that his new found friend has a tiger as a neighbor ( Ruesch, Bateson, Pinsker, & Combs, 2017) . Piscine Molitor Patel has reservation over eating human meat but due to hunger that he cannot contain he grasp the man’s hand and eats his flesh. Although Pi Patel finds it disgusting when he forcefully eats small pieces of the meat that he plans to use as fish bait. Reasoned Action turns him into a cannibal since there is no other source of food yet he is hungry.
The attribution theory is also expressed within the movie where Piscine Molitor Patel’s behavior at school is dictated by the way students make fun of his name. The name that was given to him by his uncle was adopted from a French swimming pool (Barnlund, 2017) . Piscine finds a way to cope with this situation and finally decides to change it to Pi, a mathematical ratio of the circumference in relation to the diameter of a circle. The transition of the name is not smooth, and thus he strives and works hard to achieve the desired change.
Protection motivation theory can also be seen in this movie that lasts over two hours. The Bengal tiger is extremely aggressive and kills the Zebra and Hyena for food. Piscine Molitor is so slippery and escapes death by a whisker a number of times. Using protection motivation mechanism, Piscine manages to save the tiger who has jumped into the ocean to catch fish is facing possible death by drowning ( McQuail, & Windahl, 2015) . This kind gesture is a polite message to the tiger that is less aggressive towards the young lad. Therefore, the two manage to co-exist not so freely but close together within the same boat.
A good part of the entire movie depicts the Theory of Planned Behavior. First, when the boat capsizes, Pi exercises self-control and manages to get inside the boat. He discovers that he shares the boat with a Zebra, Orangutan, and a Hyena. He manages to find a way in which to survive with these creatures in the boat even though the Hyena at long last kills the Orangutan. When he is almost settled into the life of the boat pops out Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger. Richard kills the Hyena and the Zebra and tries earnestly to kill Pi who is too slippery and manages to get out of the tiger's harm every time it comes close to him ( Lantolf, 2003) . At first, he panics and tries to run away from the tiger by shifting into the make-shift raft but later on gains self-control and cohabits with the carnival.
People during a threatening moment either choose danger control or fear control. In most cases, when a person is in such a situation decides to make no option, the Extended Parallel Process Theory automatically revert the person to the fear control. In the Life of Pie , Piscine is in more than one situation forced to choose the danger control in order to survive the life-threatening conditions that he more than once falls into (Zonouzy, Niknami, Ghofranipour, & Montazeri, 2019). For instance, when his mouth is dry from hunger and his tummy hard and empty, the danger control helps him in coming into finding solutions to his problems thus allowing him to survive the harsh conditions in the open waters.
Conclusion
Intrapersonal communication is described as the communication that takes place within an individual, and it may consist of meditation, actions of inspiration, dreams, and self-talk. Intrapersonal interaction is relevant as it helps one to reflect upon the significance of assessing one’s own feelings, ideas, and thoughts. There are several theories that are founded on intrapersonal communication. These theories have been used extensively in different fields of study and have had positive feedback. For instance, the Attribution Theory has been used positively in the education, clinical psychology, and law fields. In the movie Life of Pie , the use of intrapersonal communication was used to bring out the theme and plot of the movie thus making it enjoyable.
References
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Cherniss, C. (2017). Role of professional self-efficacy in the etiology and amelioration of burnout. In Professional burnout (pp. 135-149). New York: Routledge.
Galanis, E., Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., & Theodorakis, Y. (2016). Why self-talk is effective? Perspectives on self-talk mechanisms in sport. In Sport and Exercise Psychology Research (pp. 181-200). Academic Press.
Hagger, M. S., Polet, J., & Lintunen, T. (2018). The reasoned action approach applied to health behavior: Role of past behavior and tests of some key moderators using meta-analytic structural equation modeling. Social Science & Medicine , 213 , 85-94.
McQuail, D., & Windahl, S. (2015). Communication models for the study of mass communications . London: Routledge.
Lantolf, J. P. (2003). Intrapersonal communication and internalization in the second language classroom. Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context , 349-370.
Ruesch, J., Bateson, G., Pinsker, E. C., & Combs, G. (2017). Communication: The social matrix of psychiatry . London: Routledge.
Zonouzy, V. T., Niknami, S., Ghofranipour, F., & Montazeri, A. (2019). An educational intervention based on the extended parallel process model to improve attitude, behavioral intention, and early breast cancer diagnosis: a randomized trial. International journal of women's health , 11 , 1.
