Chp 6 - Human Comms

Aggressiveness

The assertion of one’s rights at the expense of others & caring about one’s own needs but no one else’s

Argumentativeness

The equality or state of being argumentative; synonymous w/ contentiousness or combativeness

Attractiveness

A concept that includes physical attractiveness, how desirable a person is to work with, & how much “social value” the person has for others

Bargaining

The process in which two or more parties attempt to reach an agreement on what each should give & receive in a transaction b/t them

Behavioral flexibility

The ability to alter behavior to adapt to new situations & to relate in new ways when necessary

Complementarity

The idea that we sometimes bond with ppl whose strengths are our weakness

Complementary relationships

relationships in which each person supplies something the other person or persons lack

Compliance gaining

Attempts made by a source of messages to influence a target “to perform some desired behavior that the target otherwise might not perform”

Compliance resisting

The refusal of targets of influence messages to comply with requests

Contradictions

In dialectic theory, the idea that each person in a relationship might have two opposing desires for maintaining the relationship

Deceptive communication

The practice of deliberately making somebody believe things that are not true

Defensiveness

The response that occurs when a person feels attacked

Dialectic

The tension that exists b/t two conflicting or interacting forces, elements, or ideas

Hurtful messages & events

Things partners say & do that create emotional pain or upset

Interpersonal relationships

Associations b/t at least two ppl who are interdependent, who use some consistent patterns of interaction, & who have interacted for an extended period of time

Personal idioms

Unique forms of expression & language understood only by individual couples

Proximity

The location, distance, or range b/t persons & things

Relational deterioration

The stage in a relationship in which the prior bond disintegrates

Relational maintenance

The stage in a relationship after a couple has bonded & in which they engage in the process of keeping the relationship together

Relational Development

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

Responsiveness

The idea that we tend to select our friends & loved ones from ppl who demonstrate positive interest in us

Rituals

Formalized patterns of actions or words followed regularly

Self disclosure

The process of making intentional revelations about yourself that others would be unlikely to know & that generally constitute private, sensitive, & or confidential information

Similarity

The idea that our friends & loved ones are usually ppl who like or dislike the same things we do; the principle that elements are grouped together b/c they share attributes (size, color, or shape)

Symmetrical Relationships

Relationships in which participants mirror each other or are highly similar