COM1000 Chapter 6

Interpersonal Communication

the process of using messages to generate meaning between at least two people in a situation that allows mutual opportunities for both speaking and listening

Nonpersonal Communication

communicating with others on the basis of general social interaction rules

Interpersonal Relationships

associations between at least two people who are interdependent, use some consistent patterns of interaction, and who have interacted for an extended period of time

Interdependence

people’s being mutually dependent on each other and having an impact on each other

Complementary Relationships

those in which each person supplies something the other person(s) lacks

Symmetrical Relationships

those in which the participants mirror each other or are highly similar

Self-Disclosure

the process of making intentional revelations about yourself that other would be unlikely to know and that generally constitute private, sensitive, or confidential information

Forms of Self-Disclosure

voluntary, confession, and revelation

Confession

forced or coerced

Revelation

unintentional or inadvertant communication

Open Area

information that is known to you and other people

Blind Area

information known to others but not to you

Hidden Area

information that you know about yourself but others do not

Unknown Area

information that is unknown to you and to others

What are the 4 areas of self-understanding? (Johari Square)

Open area, blind area, hidden area, unknown area

What are the 6 stages of Rawlins' model of how friendship develops?

role-limited interaction, mutual interests, personal topics or setting up times together, nascent friendship, established friendship, and the waning stage

Relational Development

the initial stage in a relationship that moves a couple from meeting to mating

Relational Maintenance

the stage in a relationship after a couple has bonded and in which they engage in the process of keeping the relationship

Dialectic

tension that exists between two conflicting or interacting forces, elements, or ideas

What contradictions (dialectics) can relationships have?

integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/privacy

Relational Deterioration

the stage in a relationship in which the prior bond disintegrates

Proximity

location, distance, or range between persons and things

Responsiveness

the reason we tend to select our friends and loved ones from people who demonstrate positive interest in us

Similarity

the idea that our friends and loved one are usually people who like or dislike the same things we do

Complementarity

the idea that we sometimes bond with people whose strengths are our weakness

What are motivations for maintaining relationships?

levels of predictability or certainty, gender and cultural differences, satisfying needs

What are the 10 categories of hurtful messages?

accusation, evaluation, directive, advise, express desire, inform, question, threat, joke, and lie

What are 3 responses to hurtful messages?

active verbal responses, acquiescent responses, and invulnerable responses

Deceptive Communication

the practice of deliberately making somebody believe things that are untrue

Familiar Lies

stories that are manufactured and that they tell repeatedly

Unfamiliar Lies

truths that are constructed on the spot

Aggressiveness

the assertation of one’s rights at the expense of other and caring about only one’s own needs

Evaluation

an individual makes a judgement about another person or their behavior

Control

the speaker does not allow the other person to join in the discussion of how a problem should be solved

Neutrality

the originator of the message does not show concern for the other

Superiority

the first person treats the other as a person of lower status

Certainty

lack of openness to alternative ideas

Strategy

employment of manipulative and premeditative behavior

What are some behaviors that encourage defensiveness in others?

evaluation, control, neutrality, superiority, certainty, and strategy

What are some behaviors that reduce defensiveness?

description, problem orientation, empathy, equality, provisionalism, and spontaneity

Description

reporting observations rather than evaluative comments

Problem Orientation

eager to discuss multiple ideas

Provisionalism

the communicator does not communicate certainty or a total conviction, open to other ideas

Influence

the power to affect other people's thinking or actions

Compliance Gaining

a person’s attempts to influence a target to perform some desired behavior that the target otherwise might not perform

Compliance Resistance

targets of influence messages refuse to comply with requests

Personal Idioms

unique forms of expression and language understood only by them

Rituals

formalized patterns of actions or words followed regularly

Bargaining

when two or more parties attempt to reach an agreement on what each should give and receive in a transaction between them

What are the 3 essential features of a bargaining situation?

All parties are aware of the possibility of reaching an agreement in which each party would be better off or no worse off, more than one such agreement could be reached, and that the others have opposed interests

Behavioral Flexibility

the ability to alter behavior to adapt to new situations and to relate in new ways when necessary