Exam 4 Flashcards
conflict
the process that occurs when people perceive that they have incompatible goals or that someone is interfering in their ability to achieve their objectives
kitchen sinking
in which combatants hurl insults and accusations at each other that have little to do with the original disagreemnent
power
the ability to influence or control people and events
symmetrical relationships
relationships with balanced power
complementary relationships
relationships with imbalanced power
dyadic power relationships
people who only moderate power are most likely to use controlling communication
power currency
to acquire power, you must possess or control something that other people want
resource currency
include material things such as money, property, and food
expertise currency
compromises special skills or knowledge, the more highly specialized and unique the skill or knowledge you have the more expertise you will possess
social network currency
what you have if you are a person who is linked with a network of friends, family, and acquaintances with substantial influence
personal currency
personal characteristics (beauty/ intelligence) that people consider to be desirable constitute
intimacy currency
when you share a close bond with someone (because you’re my friend…)
avoidance
ignoring the conflict, pretending it isn’t really happening, or communicating indirectly about the situation
skirting
in which a person avoids a conflict by changing the topic or joking about it
sniping
communicating in a negative fashion and then abandoning the encounter by physically leaving the scene or refusing to interact further
cumulative
repressed irritation grows as the mental list of grievances we have against our parter builds
pseudo-conflict
the perception that a conflict exists when it really doesn’t
accommodation
one person abandons his or her own goals and acquiesces to the desires of the other person
competition
coupled with the pursuit of one’s own goals without regard for others’ goals
escalation
a dramatic rise in emotional intensity and increasingly negative and aggressive communication
reactivity
characterized by accusations of mistrust, yelling, crying, and becoming verbally or physically aggressive
collaboration
treating conflict as a mutual problem solving challenge
separation
the sudden withdrawal of one person from the encounter
domination
occurs when one person gets his or her way by influencing the other to engage in accommodation and abandon goals
compromise
both parties change their goals to make them compatible
integrative strategies
two sides preserve and attain their goals by developing a creative solution to the problem
structural improvements
the people agree to change the basic rules or understandings that govern their relationship to prevent further conflict
sudden death statements
occur when people get so angry that they suddenly declare the end of the relationship even though it was a possibility before the conflict
dirty secrets
statements that are honest in content but have been kept hidden to protect partner’s feelings
serial arguments
a series of unresolved disputes, all having to do with the same issue
demand-withdraw
in which one partner in a relationship demands that his or her goal be met, and the other partner responds by withdrawing from the encounter
chilling effect
whereby individuals stop discussing relationship issues out of fear of their partner’s negative reactions
liking
a feeling of affection and respect that we typically have for our friends
loving
in contrast to liking, a vastly deeper and more intense emotional experience and consists of three components: intimacy, caring, and attachment
passionate love
a state of intense emotional and physical longing for union with another
companionate love
an intense form of liking defined by emotional investment and deeply intertwined lives
romantic relationships
chosen interpersonal involvement forged through communication in which the participants perceive the bonds as romantic
commitment
a strong psychological attachment to a partner and intention to continue the relationship long into the future
relational dialectics
competing impulses, or tensions, between ourselves and our feelings towards one another
mere exposure effect
you’ll feel more attracted to those with whom you have frequent contact and less attracted to those with whom you interact rarely
beautiful-is-good effect
we viewed people as competent communicators, intelligent, and well adjusted
matching
we tend to form long-term romantic relationships with people we judge as similar to ourselves in physical attractiveness
birds-of-a-feather effect
we are attracted to those we perceive as similar to ourselves
reciprocal liking
we’re attracted to make it clear through communication, and other actions, that the attraction is mutual
social exchange theory
proposes that you’ll fell drawn to those you see as offering substantial benefits
equity
the balance of benefits and costs exchanged by you and the other person
initiating
you size up a person you’ve just met or noticed
experimenting
exchange demographic information
intensifying
you and your partner begin to reveal previously withheld information, such as secrets about your past or important life dreams and goals
integrating
your and your partner’s personalities seem to become one
bonding
a public ritual that announces to the world that you and your partner have made a commitment to one another
differentiating
the beliefs attitudes and values that distinguish you from your partner come to dominate your thoughts and communication
circumscribing
you actively begin to restrict the quality and quantity of your information you exchange with your partner
stagnating
communication slows to a standstill and your relationships
avoiding
one of both of you decide that you no longer can be around each other and you begin to distance yourself physically
terminating
couples might discuss past present and future of relationship
relational maintenance
refers to using communication and supportive behaviors to sustain a desired relationship status and level of satisfaction
romantic betrayal
an act that goes against expectations of a romantic relationship, and causes pain to partner as a result
jealousy
a protective reaction to a perceived threat to a valued relationships
wedging
deliberately uses messages, photos, and posts to try to wedge him or herself between partners in a romantic couple because he or she is interested in one of the partners
family
network of people who share their lives over long periods of time and are bound by marriage, blood, or commitment; who consider themselves as family; and who share a significant history and anticipated future of functioning as a family relationship
nuclear family
a wife, husband, and their biological or adopted children
extended family
when relatives such as aunts, uncles, parents, children and grandparents live together in a common household
stepfamily
in which at least one of the adults has a child or children from a previous relationship often called blended or remarried
cohabiting couples
consists of two unmarried romatically involved adults living together in a household, with or without children
single-parenting family
only one adult resides in the household, possessing sole responsibility as a caregiver for the children
family stories
narrative accounts shared repeatedly within a family that retell historical events and are meant to bond the family together
consensual families
members are encouraged to openly share their views with one another as well as debate these beliefs
pluralistic family
families high in conversation but low in conformity; communicate openly and in unconstrained ways, discussing a broad range of topics and exploring them in depth
family communication patterns theory
two dimensions underlie communication between family members: conversation orientation and conformity orientation
conversation orientation
the degree to which family members are encouraged to participate in unrestrained interaction about a wide array of topics
conformity orientation
the degree to which families believe that communication should emphasize similarity and attitudes, beliefs and values
protective families
low in conversation and high in conformity; communication in these families functions to maintain obedience and enforce family norms, and little value is placed on the exchange of ideas or the development of communication skills
laissez-faire families
low in both conversation and conformity, few emotional bonds exist
communication privacy management theory
individuals create informational boundaries by carefully choosing the kind of private information they reveal and the people with whom they share it
family privacy rules
the conditions governing what family members can talk about, how they can discuss such topics, and who should have access to family relevant information
triangulation
loyalty conflicts that arise when a coalition is formed, uniting one family member with another against a third person
interparental conflict
overt, hostile interactions between parents in a household, while such constant fighting is harmful to the parent’s relationship, the impact upon the children in the household is worse
spillover hypothesis
emotions affect and mood from the parental relationship spill over into the broader family, disrupting children’’s sense of emotional security
friendship
voluntary interpersonal relationship characterized by intimacy
communal friendships
friendships that focus on sharing time and activities together
agentic friendships
friendships in which the parties focus primarily on helping each other achieve practical goals
identity support
behaving in ways that convey understanding, acceptance, and support for a friend’s valued social identities
valued social identities
aspects of your public self that you deem the most important in defining who you are
cross category friendships
friendships that cross demographic lines– three most common: cross-sex, cross-orientation, interethnic
professional peers
people holding positions of organizational status and power similar to our own
friendship rules
general principles that prescribe appropriate communication and behavior within relationships
friends with benefits
the participants engage in sexual activity, but not with the purpose of transforming the relationship into a romantic attachment
