Chapter 7 Vocabulary

Question 1

Good Relationship

Answer 1

Ones in which the interactions are satisfying to and healthy for those involved.

Question 2

Acquaintainces

Answer 2

People we know by name and talk with when the opportunity arise, but with whom our interactions are largely impersonal.

Question 3

Impersonal Communication

Answer 3

Interchangeable polite chit-chat involving no or very little personal disclosure.

Question 4

Saving Face

Answer 4

The process of attempting to maintain a positive self-image in a relational situation.

Question 5

Friends

Answer 5

People with whom we have negotiated more personal relationships that are voluntary.

Question 6

Close Friends or Intimates

Answer 6

People with whom we share a high degree of commitment, trust, interdependence, disclosure, and enjoyment.

Question 7

Platonic Relationship

Answer 7

An intimate relationship in which the partners are not sexually attracted to each other or do not act on an attraction they feel.

Question 8

Romantic Relationship

Answer 8

An intimate relationship in which the partners act on their sexual attraction.

Question 9

Trust

Answer 9

Placing confidence in another in a way that almost always involves some risk.

Question 10

Self-Disclosure

Answer 10

Sharing biographical data, personal ideas, and feelings that are unknown to the other person.

Question 11

Feedback

Answer 11

Verbal and physical responses to people (and/or their messages) within the relationship.

Question 12

Johari Window

Answer 12

A tool for examining the relationship between disclosure and feedback in the relationship.

Question 13

Relationship Transformation

Answer 13

The process of changing a relationship from one level of intimacy to another.

Question 14

Dialetic

Answer 14

A tension between conflicting forces.

Question 15

Relational Dialetics

Answer 15

The competing psychological tensions in a relationship.

Question 16

Autonomy

Answer 16

The desire to do things independent of one’s partner.

Question 17

Connection

Answer 17

The desire to do things and make decisions with one’s partner.

Question 18

Openness

Answer 18

The desire to share intimate ideas and feelings with one’s partner.

Question 19

Closedness

Answer 19

The desire to maintain one’s privacy in a relationship.

Question 20

Novelty

Answer 20

Originality, freshness, and uniqueness in the partner’s behaviors or in the relationship.

Question 21

Predictability

Answer 21

Consistency, reliability, and dependability in a relationship.

Question 22

Temporal Selection

Answer 22

The strategy of choosing one dialectical tension and ignoring its opposite for a while.

Question 23

Topical Segmentation

Answer 23

The strategy of choosing certain topics with which to satisfy one dialectical tension and other topics for its opposite.

Question 24

Neutralization

Answer 24

The strategy of compromising between the desires of the two partners.

Question 25

Reframing

Answer 25

The strategy of changing one’s perspective about the level of tension.

Question 26

Relationship

Answer 26

Sets of expectations two people have for their behavior based on the pattern of interaction between them.