Final Exam Flashcards
Intimacy
a connection between two people that includes psychological, emotional, and behavioral bonds
Components of Intimacy
closeness, openness, trust, affection, mutuality
Closeness
a feeling of union between two people that emerges when people spend time together and influence one another’s actions and beliefs
Openness
our willingness to reveal private information about ourselves to a relationship partner through self disclosure
Trust
the feeling that a relationship partner will keep us safe and protect us from harm
Affection
the positive feelings that we have for another person that we communicate through our actions with that person
Mutuality
when both partners in a relationship acknowledge and value the bond that exists between them
Johnson’s Conceptualization of Commitment
have to (no alternatives, can’t leave), ought to (moral obligation, other’s expectations), want to (emotional desire for partner)
Love Styles- Eros
love characterized by beauty and sexuality
Love Style- Ludus
love characterized as a game that is entertaining and exciting
Love Styles- Storge
love characterized as peaceful and grounded in friendship
Relational Dialectics
autonomy v. connection, novelty v. predictability, openness v. closedness
Love Languages (Chapman’s work)
words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, physical touch
Relational Maintenance Behaviors
the actions people take to keep their relationship in a desired state
Friendships Across the Lifespan
early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early/middle adulthood, older adulthood
Goals
end-states or outcomes that a person seeks to achieve or maintain
Primary Goal
the influence goal that motivates the interaction
Secondary Goals
considerations other than the primary goal that arise during interpersonal influence interactions and shape communication strategies
Options for Pursuing Multiple Goals
prioritize, pursue goals in sequence, pursue all goals simultaneously
Politeness Theory
a set of assumptions about how intimacy and power are related to the use of more or less polite influence messages
Positive Face
the desire to be well-liked and admired by others
Negative Face
the desire to be autonomous and unconstrained
Face Threatening Act
a request for compliance that violates one’s positive or negative face
Types of Power
coercive, legitimate, referent, expert, reward
Coercive Power
the ability to use threats and punishment to gain compliance
Reward Power
the ability to use incentives to gain compliance
Legitimate Power
the degree of power gained by one’s position or title
Referent Power
the extent to which individuals are well-liked and admired
Expert Power
the extent to which individuals have information, knowledge, and expertise on a given topic
Types of Influence Goals
gain assistance, give advice, change orientation, obtain permission, enforce rights + obligations
Characteristics of Compliance-Seeking Messages
explicitness, dominance, argument
Explicitness
the degree to which a message clearly reveals the speaker’s intentions
Dominance
the extent to which a speaker expresses power through the form and content of an influence message
Argument
the degree to which reasons are given for complying with a request
Politeness Strategies
bald-on-record, positive politeness, negative politeness
Bald-On-Record Strategy
used to straightforwardly address the other person or the hearer to express the speakers needs
Positive Politeness Strategy
intended to avoid giving offense by highlighting friendliness, seeks to minimize threat to the hearer’s positive face, seeks to make hearer feel good about themselves
Negative Politeness Strategy
oriented towards the hearer’s negative face, emphasizes avoidance of imposition on hearer
Criteria Defining Conflict
interdependence, perceived incompatible goals, interference, negative emotions
Levels of Conflict
problematic behavior, relationship roles, undesirable traits
Problematic Behavior
the conflict stems from specific actions performed by the other person
Relationship Roles
the conflict stems from the other person’s violations of expectations or norms for the relationship
Undesirable Traits
the conflict stems from the other person’s problematic personality or enduring qualities
Conflict Goals
the outcomes a person hopes to achieve at the end of a dispute
Types of Conflict
instrumental, relational, identity (self + other), process
Instrumental Goals
specific or tangible resources or benefits a person hopes to gain or retain (ex: money, goods, resources, information)
Relational Goals
the type of relationship a person wants to have with a partner at the end of the conflict
Identity Goals (self)
the self image that a person wants to project or protect during a conflict
Identity Goals (other)
the self image that a person wants the partner to have at the end of the conflict
Process Goals
the steps or rules for conflict that a person wants to follow; preferences about how to manage conflict
4 Conflict Styles
dominating, integrating, obliging, avoiding
Dominating Conflict Style
involves confronting problems, competing with a partner, and trying to win (Pros: can be effective during difficult situations; Cons: can be perceived as aggressive, confrontational, and uncooperative)
Integrating Conflict Style
involves collaborating with a partner to find a solution that is satisfying to everyone (Pros: makes all parties feel valued and understood; Cons: may not be a solution that provides exact victory for all parties involved)
Obliging Conflict Style
involves accommodating or giving in to a conflict partner’s needs and desires (Pros: useful to preserve relationships; Cons: creates power imbalances, limits ability to solve complex problems)
Avoiding Conflict Style
involves trying to limit communication about a conflict situation (Pros: allows time to think + gather info + cool down; Cons: doesn’t address long term goals, causes tension, projects passive-aggressiveness or lack of concern)
The Chilling Effect
occurs when we suppress complaints and expressions of dissatisfaction or anger from someone we perceive as more powerful than us, because we fear that the more powerful person could punish us
Levels of Confirmation + Disconfirmation
recognition, acknowledgement, endorsement
Verbal Person Centerdeness
a quality of messages that validate, recognize, or acknowledge the recipients feelings and experiences
Types of Support
informational, emotional, network, tangible, esteem
Informational Support
messages that give advice or point out helpful facts
Emotional Support
verbal messages that focus on how a person is feeling and attempt to make that person feel better
Network Support
messages that link someone in distress to others who can help
Tangible Support
practical aid that addresses the source of a person’s distress
Esteem Support
messages that point out positive personal qualities
Support Communication Strategies
solace, escape, dismiss, solve
Solace
combines approach based and emotion focused messages to elicit positive emotions and foster intimacy
Solve
combines approach based and task focused messages to find solutions to the problem
Escape
combines avoidance based and emotion focused messages to discourage the experience and expression of negative emotion
Dismiss
combines avoidance based and task focused messages to minimize the significance of the problem
Problem-Focused Coping
addressing a difficult situation by focusing on understanding and resolving it
Emotion-Focused Coping
addressing a difficult situation by focusing on controlling the negative feelings + distress that it generates
Cold Comfort
messages that provide limited consolation, sympathy, or encouragement in response to serious distress
Ways to expand your comforting toolkit
focus on feelings, help speaker clarify feelings
Norm of Reciprocity
tendency to match our own disclosures to those made by our partner
Uncertainty Reduction Theory
uncertainty stems from a lack of information, we can reduce it through gathering information about a person (self disclosure and norm of reciprocity)
Relational Uncertainty
the lack of knowledge people have about their relationships
Social Penetration Theory
a description of relationship escalation that focuses on how communication allows partners to get to know each other
The Development of Friendships
meeting, fledgling friendships, private rules for interacting develop, stabilized friendship
Emotional closeness through dialogue v. doing
intimate conversations can lead to friends building a deep sense of connection
Gottman’s 4 Horsemen of the Apocolypse
criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling
Secret Tests
covert actions designed to reveal information about a partner’s involvement
Grave Dressing Phase of Relationship Dissolution
when a person who has left their relationship attempts to justify their actions, often because they are attempting to present themselves in a positive light in order to attract a new partner
Family
a network of people who create a sense of home, share a collective identity, experience a common history, and envision a similar future
Conversation Orientation
the extent to which a family encourages communication about a wide variety of topics
Conformity Orientation
the extent to which the family encourages members to have similar attitudes, beliefs, and values
Pluralistic Family
families whose members are encouraged to express individuality and embrace differences (high in conversation orientation and low in conformity orientation)
Consensual Family
families whose members use open communication to coordinate activities around a united family front (high in conversation orientation and high in conformity orientation)
Laissez-Fair Family
families in which members have little contact with one another and aren’t expected to share a similar pov (low in conversation orientation and low in conformity orientation)
Protective Family
families whose members do not communicate freely, discourage differences, and respect authority (low in conversation orientation and high in conformity orientation)
Functions of the Family
protection, socialization (family socialization), educate about traditions + beliefs in culture (transmission), emotional support + comfort
Family Socialization
the process by which parents teach their children behaviors that are appropriate, expected, moral, or polite
Transmission
the teaching of cultural practices from one generation to the next
Functions of the Family Secret
create + maintain intimacy, cohesiveness, protecting family structure, avoid social disapproval
Systems Theory
a general perspective that emphasizes how different objects work together to form a larger entity
4 Marital Types
traditional marriage, independent marriage, separate marriage, mixed marriage
Traditional Marriage
a union characterized by a clear division of labor, companionship, and cooperation
Independent Marriage
a union characterized by an emphasis on quality time together, individuality, and frequent negotiation of household tasks
Separate Marriage
a union characterized by a clear division of labor, psychological and emotional distance, and a strong commitment to the relationship
Mixed Marriage
a union in which the partners differ in their preferences for a traditional, independent, or separate relationship
