Chapter 8

Interpersonal Communication

The exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between people who are building relationships by sharing meanings and accomplishing social goals.

Impersonal Communication

Role-based communication with little relational development or expressed emotion.

Relational Networks

Complex webs of relationships, including family, friendships, social relationships, romantic partners, and online relationships.

Parasocial Interaction (PSI)

One-sided relationships in which people imagine a relationship with a celebrity or media personality who does not know they exist.

Love

A deep affection for another person with varying degrees of passion, commitment, and intimacy.

Intimacy

Closeness and understanding within a relationship.

Social Information Processing Theory

Explains that online relationships develop similarly to face-to-face contact, though often taking longer to become more intimate.

Hyperpersonal Communication

Occurs when digital channels enhance intimacy in interpersonal relationships.

Proximity (Physical or Virtual)

Nearness, required for relationship formation.

Similarity

Often increases attraction in relationship formation.

Social Exchange Theory

Explains how we balance the advantages (rewards) and disadvantages (costs) in our relationships.

Rewards

Aspects of a relationship that make you feel good, which may be extrinsic, instrumental, or intrinsic.

Costs

Aspects of the relationship that upset you.

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

States that partners want to decrease uncertainty through passive, active, and interactive strategies.

Passive Strategies (uncertainty reduction)

Involve observing others without actually interacting.

Active Strategies (uncertainty reduction)

Involve seeking information from a third party.

Interactive Strategies (uncertainty reduction)

Involve communicating directly with the person.

Relational Dialectics Theory

Holds that dialectical tensions are opposing or conflicting goals that always exist in a relationship.

Dialectical Tensions

Opposing or conflicting goals that always exist in a relationship, such as independence vs. dependence, openness vs. closedness, and predictability vs. novelty.

Social Penetration Theory (SPT)

Explains how relational partners move toward intimacy through self-disclosure.

Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory

Explains how people perceive the information they hold about themselves and how they choose to disclose or not.

Boundary Turbulence

Arises when violations make it necessary to readjust disclosure versus privacy.

Strategic Topic Avoidance

Used to maneuver the conversation away from topics that make people feel vulnerable.

Turning Points

Events or changes important to relationship definition.

Initiating Stage

The first contact in a relationship.

Exploratory Stage

Characterized by superficial communication in a relationship.

Intensification Stage

A stage where more self-disclosure occurs in a relationship.

Stable Stage

A stage where expectations are accurate and realistic, with partners integrating and bonding.

Integrating (Stable Stage)

Becoming one in a relationship.

Bonding (Stable Stage)

Sharing messages about their relationship with the world.

Declining Stage

A stage where uncertainty events, outside interference, and unmet expectations take a toll.

Uncertainty Events

Events that contribute to decline in a relationship.

Repair Tactics

Strategies that may reverse the decline of a relationship.

Termination Stage

The stage where a relationship fades away or is unexpectedly ended by one partner.

Reconciliation

A way to rekindle relationships that have been terminated.