COMM 417/309 Exam Study Guide

Conceptualizing Relational Communication • Human relationships o We can distinguish three general types of human relationships  Role relationships o Close relations  Have all features of interpersonal relatio ...

Conceptualizing Relational Communication • Human relationships o We can distinguish three general types of human relationships  Role relationships o Close relations  Have all features of interpersonal relationships, plus:  Emotional attachment • Interpersonal communication o The study of relational communication is based on several basic principles of interpersonal communication  Principle #1: interpersonal communication is both  Principle #5: Interpersonal communication varies in effectiveness  Attempted communication occurs when an intended message fails  Misinterpretation occurs when the meaning of a message is misconstrued  Accidental communication occurs when an unintentional message is nonetheless received  Principle #6: Interpersonal communication has both content and relational dimensions • Relational communication o A subcategory of interpersonal communication that focuses on the expression and interpretation of messages within close relationships o Most relationships are:  Romantic: heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual  Platonic: friends, neighbors, close co-workers  Familial: spouses, parents and children, siblings o Close relationships share fundamental relational themes Evolutionary Psychology and Communication • Natural selection o Evolution is change over time  Change in an individual organism-such as a person- is called ontogeny o Change in the characteristics of a species is called phylogeny o This is the type of change most people think of when they hear the term evolution • Evolutionally Psychology o Natural selection affects the evolution of physical features, such as height, skin color, and neck length o The brain- which is responsible for psychological traits such as intelligence, empathy, emotional control, and humor- is a physical organ • An Evolutionary Framework o Evolutionary psychology helps explain many aspects of relational communication o Nepotism is the tendency to favor one’s relatives over nonrelatives in the distribution of resources  Inclusive fitness recognizes that it is survival and reproduction of the gene, not the individual, that matters Relational Identity • Personal identity o Your identity is your self-concept- your stable ideas about who you are  Identities are multi-faceted  Multiple selves • Identity Management o Identities provide a structure of who we are  Relationships: wife, son, friend  Roles: student, intern, soccer player  Goals: buy a house, finish my degree  Qualities: honest, friendly, discerning Identity Management • Identity guides our behavior o Those who think of themselves as athletic are more likely to work out; those who see themselves as good students are more likely to study o This relationship can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy Self- Presentation • Self-presentation is the way we convey and communicate our identities to other people • Another manipulation of self-presentation, emotional labor, occurs when one’s job requires the display of emotions one isn’t feeling Drawing people together • Process of attraction o Attraction is any force that draws two entities together  Gravity  Magnetism  Interpersonal attraction  Draws people together relationally o Attraction theory is a set of o Somatotype  An assessment of body shape based on relative height and weight  Ectomophic type: • An underweight body o Mesomporphic type • Even the ambient temperature may make a difference o Williams and Bargh showed that being in a warm environment, or even holding a war drink, promote Managing Uncertainty & Expectations • Uncertainty o Each of us has a need for certainty  We function best when we feel like we have an understanding of what to expect o Expectations come in two forms  Predicative expectations  Describe what we predict will happen in a given situation Changing Relationships • Some researchers argue that close relationships develop by progressing through a series of stages • Stages • Dialectics o Another non-linear approach to relationship development (and maintenance) is described in Baxter’s relational dialectics theory Closeness Affection • Closeness o Saying that people are “close” can have more than one meaning Social Support • Defining social support o Social support consists of the behaviors we use to assist and care for others o Social support comes in various forms, according to Cutrona and Suhr • Benefits of social support o Social support can have immediate benefits for recipients and senders Self-Disclosure • Self-disclosure occurs when we share information about ourselves that we believe others don’t already know • Self-disclosure is intentional. Unintended disclosures are not included • Self-disclosure varies among relationships • Self-disclosure usually develops gradually • Self-disclosure is usually reciprocal • Self-disclosure is influenced by cultural and gender roles • We can consider self-disclosure along six independent dimensions • Psychologist Art Aron has shown that disclosing answers to 36 questions helps strangers feel close to each other o Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest? • Privacy boundaries o Everyone manages personal information o How do we keep personal information private? How do you know if you can share personal information- your own or others’- with someone? • Topic avoidance and secret-keeping o How do people keep from sharing private information? Two strategies are common:  Topic avoidance means avoiding discussion of certain issues • Love Triangle o Psychologist Robert Sternberg addressed the issue in his triangular theory of love o Intimacy is the “warm” component • Love Styles o John Lee- and later, Clyde and Susan Hendrick- proposed that people develop various love styles that represent their beliefs and expectations about love  There are three primary styles: Eros, Storge, and Ludus  There are three secondary styles: Mania, Agape, and Pragma