exam #2 review | ch. 11, 12, 13, 14

Chapter 11:

• interpersonal conflict: btwn 2 or more people
• functional conflict: develops a clearer understanding of needs, attitudes, or beliefs

• DESC scripts: strategy for expressing feelings/understanding others

Describe (why situation troubles you, as specifically/objectively as possible)
Express (how you feel about situation. "I", "me", "my")
Specify (how you'd like to see it resolved)
Consequences (of changing/not changing situation)

• pseudoconflict: situation that gives an appearance of conflict even though it's not actual conflict (ex. misunderstandings, lack of clarity)
• content conflict: conflict revolving around a matter of fact
• compromising style: style of resolving conflict, middle range btwn assertiveness & cooperativeness 
• social learning theory: we learn at least some of what we know by observing others & modeling the behaviors that we have observed

• a conflict free relationship is not healthy

True, lack of conflict is not real & can contribute to a relationship becoming dysfunctional

• some interpersonal conflicts take on a life of their own w participants unable to control them

False, people can learn to control how they respond to conflict

• some interpersonal arguments are less destructive than others but all of them have negative consequences

False, conflict can have positive consequences

• movies & video games have powerful influence on how we learn to deal w conflict

True, they give us models of people engaged in conflict, affecting our attitudes toward conflict & how we prefer to resolve it

Chapter 12:

• abdicrat: one who has little need to control another
• autocrat: one who has a great need to control/dominate others

• happy people live longer than unhappy people

True, happy people live up to 35% longer than those who report being unhappy

• as time passes, passionate love increases

False, partners in developed relationships express passion in "sparks & spurts" 

• "what's up" is a question that opens a communication channel btwn 2 people

True, asking it functions as a conversation opener 

• by talking about my friends instead of our friends, partners are able to bond more easily

False, talking about my instead of our friends, partners enter the differentiating stage of relationship

• less talk about fewer topics increases a relationship's strength

False, less talk about fewer topics is a sign of a deteriorating relationship

• Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Abraham Maslow's pyramidal hierarchy of human needs

• intimacy: measure of closeness; sustained feelings of closeness & connection
• latent intimacy: feelings of intimacy or connection not directly apparent to others
• nascent friendship: rules & regulating interaction are worked out, hanging out more, 4th stage of Rawlin's 6 stages of friendship
• task attractiveness: relationship attractor where you enjoy working together

Chapter 13:

• self disclosure: willing sharing of info about the self w others

• self disclosure involves willingly revealing private info about ourselves to another

True, when we self-disclose, we share personal info that the other person wouldn't have known

• self disclosure carries no risk

False, self disclosure can leave the disclosing person more vulnerable

• when disclosures occur too early in a relationship, the other person might feel uncomfortable

True, premature disclosures may lead to relationship discomfort

• intimacy & self disclosure are positively related

True, coming to know another better increases feelings of closeness

• relationship breadth: aspect of relationship measured by how many topics the parties discuss
• relationship depth: aspect of relationship measured by how central the topics discussed are to the self-concepts of the individuals involved & how much the parties are willing to reveal about themselves & their feelings
• social penetration theory: states that relationships typically begin w relatively narrow breadth & depth & develop over time
• relational dialectics theory: pushes & pulls partners feel toward integration vs. separation, stability vs. change, & expression vs. privacy (conflicting forces)

Chapter 14:

• systems theory: an approach to communication that stresses interaction of all elements in a communication network

• reflective thinking framework: problem solving system designed to encourage critical inquiry

1. what is the problem?
2. what are the facts of the situation? (analyze the problem)
3. what criteria must an acceptable solution meet?
4. what are possible solutions?
5. which is the best solution?
6. how can the solution be implemented?

• fewer than half of all Amer. families include a married couple

True, single or cohabiting adults now head more than half of all U.S. households

• if a family has more than 2 people, then its members live in triangles

True, a triangle is a pair plus another person

• mindguards facilitate groupthink

True, mindguards protect the leader from receiving dissenting info