psych interpersonal relationships exam 4

Interpersonal Gap

Sender’s intentions differ from the messages that other actually receive.

Verbal Communication

Vocabulary, grammar, and syntax

Nonverbal Communication

actions and the sounds of their voices or how they say things

Display Rules

Cultural norms that dictate what emotions are appropriate in particular situations, influence our efforts to control our expressions.

Intensifying

Exaggerating facial expressions

Minimizing

Lessening facial expressions

Neutralizing

withholding facial expressions

Masking

Replacing facial expression with other emotions

Gazing Behavior

The direction and amount of a person’s looking behavior are influential

Strangers

______ who spend time gazing into each other’s eyes tend to like each other.

Touch

Different types of _____ have distinctly different meanings.

Intimate Zone

the area within 1 ½ feet of the front of our chests

Personal Zone

the area 1 ½ to 4 feet away used for interactions with friends and acquaintances.

Social Zone

businesslike interactions 4 to 12 feet away

Public Zone

formal interactions at larger distances

synchronizing

During a conversation, people often adopt similar postures, ____ their nonverbal behavior without thinking about it.

Accuracy

The _____ with which couples communicate nonverbally predicts how happy their relationships will be.

Women

Work harder at nonverbal communication than the opposite usually do. they send clearer, more comprehensible messages and they attentively interpret others behavior more accurately.

Self Disclosure

The process of revealing personal information about oneself to someone else.

Social Penetration Theory

holds that as relationships devekio, partners become more intimate by increasing two aspects of their verbal communication: it’s breadth and depth.

Reciprocity

usually evident as the partners match each other’s level of openness.

Interpersonal Model of Intimacy

holds that trust builds and intimacy increases when one’s partner responds with interest and empathy

Perceived Partner Responsiveness

the judgment that one’s partner is understanding and caring, is a key part of the process by which intimacy develops.

Taboo Topics

are sensitive matters that partners agree, explicitly or implicitly, not to discuss. Most common time of topic is state of one’s relationship.

Happier and healthier

People who have substantive, deep conversations with others are ______ and ______ than those who stick to superficial small talk.

Men

Tend to stick to more impersonal matters such as sports and they seek a few laughs instead of support and counsel.

Kitchen Sinking

Unhappy partners are prone to confusing issues by addressing several topics at once. Their conversations frequently drift off-beam, wandering from topic to topic.

Yes butting

Find fault with anything their partner says

Cross Complaining

Responding to a partner’s complaint with one of their own.

I- statements

Start with I and then describe a distinct specific emotional reaction

Behavior Description

Involves identifying as plainly as possible a specific behavior that annoyed us.

XYZ Statements

Combine behavior descriptions with I statements. (ex. “When you do X in Y situation, I feel Z.”

Paraphrasing

Involves repeating a message in our words and giving the sender a chance to agree that that’s what he or she really meant.

Perception Checking

occurs when we assess the accuracy of our inferences by asking for clarification and feedback.

Validation

acknowledges the legitimacy of our partner’s opinions and communicates respect for their positions even when we disafree with them.

Social Exchange

Successful relationships entail the mutual exchange of desirable rewards with others.

Rewards

results of an interaction that are gratifying, welcome, and fulfilling

Costs

Consequences that are frustrating, distressing, and undesirable.

Outcome

Adding up all the rewards and costs that result: Rewards - Costs= ?

Interdependency Theory

Suggests that we evaluate the outcomes we receive with two criteria: what we expect from our relationships and how well we think we can do with other partners.

bad; good

Costs are particularly influential _____ is stronger than _____.

At least 5:1

Rewards need to outnumber costs by at least _____ if we’re to stay satisfied with a close relationship.

Approach Motivation

Trying to gain positive outcomes in your relationship

Avoidance Motivation

Trying to avoid negative outcomes

declines

On average, marital satisfaction ______ as the years go by.

Lack of Effort

People may stop working as hard as they once did to be consistently charming

Access to Weaponry

Intimate partners know our foibles and our secrets, and that gives them the means to hurt us, even unintentionally, in ways others can’t.

Equitable Relationships

The relationship is fair: Each partner gains benefits from the relationship that are proportional to his or her contributions to it. Your outcomes and contributions= your partner’s outcomes and contributions

Inequitable Relationships

One partner is receiving too much and is said to be over benefited while the other partner is receiving too little and is said to be under benefited.

Actual Equity

Changing their (or thier partner’s) contributions or outcomes

Psychological Equity

Convinving themselves that they are getting what they deserve

Abandon the relationship

seeking fairness elsewhere as a last resort

Child care and household tasks

Main source of relational conflict

Commitment

intention to continue a relationship. these partners take a long term view, foreseeing a future together and they are psychologically attached attached to each other so that they’re happier when their partners are happy too.

The Investment Model for Commitment

Satisfaction increases commitment. Alternatices of high quality decreases commitment. Investments in a relationship increases commitment to it.

Personal Commitment

Occurs when people want to continue a relationship because it is satisfying

Constraint Commitment

Occurs when people feel they have to continue a relationship because it would cost too much to leave.

Moral Commitment

Occurs when people feel they ought to continue a relationship because it would be wrong to break their vows.

Willingness to Sacrifice

Putting the well-being of the relationship ahead of one’s own self interest

Accommodation

Temporarily tolerating provocation from one’s partner without fighting back

Perceived Superiority

Considering one’s relationship to be better than those of other people