Interpersonal Comms Final

The Final Exam is made up of 42 questions and is worth 100 points/15% of your overall grade. It is mostly multiple choice with a few short answer questions. You will have 60 minutes to complete the exam.

Empowered Refusal

An assertive way to refuse a request while respecting yourself and the other person.

• Clear and confident

• Protects your own needs

• Neither passive nor aggressive

How Conflict is Escalated

Conflict escalates when communication shifts from solving the issue to attacking the other person.

• Passive aggression

• Sarcasm

• Character attacks

• Threats, ridicule, searing comments

Collectivist vs. Individualist Cultures

Individualist: A culture that values independence, personal achievement, and individual goals.

• Self-reliance

• Personal success

Collectivist: A culture that values group harmony and shared goals.

• Family/community

• Cooperation

Expectancy Violations

A theory stating that people have expectations about communication behaviors and evaluate unexpected behaviors as positive or negative.

• Expectations guide interactions

• Violations attract attention

• Evaluation depends on the situation and communicator

How Friendships are Created & Maintained

Friendships develop through attraction and are maintained through positive communication.

• Similarity

• Proximity

• Self-disclosure

• Rewards outweigh costs

• Maintained through support and repair

Types of Friendships

Friendships vary based on the level of closeness and the role they play.

• Degree of self-disclosure

• Emotional support

• Commitment

• Shared activities

Traits of Happy Couples

Happy couples actively maintain healthy relationships through supportive behaviors.

• Manage conflict constructively

• Repair problems

• Support one another

• Balance similarities and differences

Knapp’s Relationship Stages

A model describing how relationships develop and end.

Coming Together

• Initiating

• Experimenting

• Intensifying

• Integrating

• Bonding

Coming Apart

• Differentiating

• Circumscribing

• Stagnating

• Avoiding

• Terminating

Relationship Transgressions

Behaviors that violate expectations within a relationship.

• Broken promises

• Betrayal of trust

• Privacy violations

• Lack of support

• Destructive communication

Accepting Responsibility for Emotions

Taking ownership of your feelings instead of blaming others for them.

• Recognize your feelings

• Use appropriate language

• Separate feelings from actions

• Express them at the right time

Emotion Coaching vs. Emotion Dismissing

Emotion Coaching: Helping others recognize, understand, and manage their emotions.

• Validate feelings

• Teach regulation

Emotion Dismissing: Ignoring or minimizing another person's emotions.

• Discourage expression

• Treat feelings as unimportant

Alexithymia

Difficulty identifying, understanding, and expressing one's own emotions.

• Trouble recognizing feelings

• Difficulty describing emotions

• Can make communication more challenging

Emotional Labor

Managing or changing your emotions to meet social or workplace expectations.

• Display expected emotions

• Hide inappropriate emotions

• Common in customer service and caregiving roles

Poor Listening Habits

Behaviors that prevent effective listening and understanding.

• Pseudolistening

• Stage hogging

• Selective listening

• Defensive listening

• Ambushing

• Literal listening

Proxemics

The study of how people use space to communicate.

• Personal space

• Territoriality

• Distance affects relationships and interactions

Chronemics

The study of how people use time to communicate.

• Punctuality

• Waiting time

• Time reflects priorities and relationships

Euphemisms

Mild or indirect words used in place of harsh or unpleasant ones.

• Soften difficult topics

• Make messages more socially acceptable

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The idea that language influences how people think and perceive the world.

• Language shapes perception

• Different languages encourage different ways of thinking

Fundamental Attribution Error vs. Self-Serving Bias

Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to explain others' behavior by their personality instead of the situation.

Self-Serving Bias: Tendency to credit yourself for successes but blame external factors for failures.

Privacy Management

The process of deciding what personal information to reveal or keep private.

• Set privacy boundaries

• Control self-disclosure

• Shared information creates co-ownership

Nurturing vs. Achievement Cultures

Nurturing Culture: Values relationships, cooperation, and quality of life.

Achievement Culture: Values success, competition, and accomplishment.

Low-Context Cultures

Cultures that rely primarily on direct, explicit verbal communication.

• Messages are stated clearly

• Words carry most of the meaning

• Less reliance on context or nonverbal cues

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A theory stating that lower-level needs must be met before higher-level needs become motivating.

From lowest to highest:

1. Physiological

2. Safety

3. Love & Belonging

4. Esteem

5. Self-Actualization

Types of Noise

Anything that interferes with sending, receiving, or understanding a message.

• Physical: Environmental distractions (noise, distance)

• Physiological: Physical conditions (hearing loss, illness)

• Psychological: Thoughts, emotions, biases

• Semantic: Misunderstood words or language

Julian Treasure’s Acronym (RASA)

A four-step model for effective listening.

• Receive – Pay attention

• Appreciate – Show you're listening

• Summarize – Confirm understanding

• Ask – Ask questions

Clair Canfield’s Acronym (HURIER)

A model describing the six stages of effective listening.

• Hearing

• Understanding

• Remembering

• Interpreting

• Evaluating

• Responding

“I” Messages

A way to express feelings without blaming another person.
Formula:

• I feel...

• When...

• Because...

• I would like...

Effective Apologies

An apology that accepts responsibility and works to repair the relationship.

• Acknowledge what happened

• Accept responsibility

• Express sincere remorse

• Make amends when possible

Conflict Management Styles

Different ways people respond to conflict.

• Avoiding: Ignore the conflict

• Accommodating: Give in to others

• Competing: Pursue your own goals

• Compromising: Both sides give something up

• Collaborating: Work together for a win-win solution

Gottman’s “Four Horsemen”

Four communication behaviors that predict relationship distress.

• Criticism

• Contempt

• Defensiveness

• Stonewalling

Dialectical Tensions

Opposing needs that exist in close relationships.
Common tensions:

• Autonomy vs. Connection

• Openness vs. Closedness

• Predictability vs. Novelty