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8: Interpersonal Communication

  • Page ID
    251107
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    Learning Objectives

    After reading this chapter you should be able to:

    • Define interpersonal communication
    • Explain self-disclosure
    • Understand the role of communication climate on interpersonal communication
    • Be aware of the role of dialectical tensions in interpersonal communication
    • Understand the unique dynamics of friendship
    • Understand the unique dynamics of romantic relationships
    • Understand the unique dynamics of family
    • Understand the various ways of interpreting and responding to conflict in interpersonal communication

    Think about your relationships in the last few years. You have likely experienced many changes in your home, work, and school life. Imagine the potential changes that may occur over the following years. You and your friends from high school may attend different colleges and will live far apart from each other. If you have recently been separated by distance from friends or family, you have noticed that it is more difficult to stay connected and share all of the little things that go on in your day. As you continue to grow and change in college, it is likely that you will create relationships along the way. Being away from your family, you will probably notice changes in your relationships with them. All of these dynamics, and many more, fall under the scope of interpersonal communication.

    Two black women taking
    Image by NAPPY STUDIO is licensed under CC0

    • 8.1: Defining Interpersonal Communication
      This page discusses interpersonal communication as an exchange that emphasizes quality over quantity, highlighting self-disclosure for deepening relationships. It introduces the Johari window for understanding self-awareness and touches on relational dialectics, which include tensions like autonomy-connection and openness-closedness.
    • 8.2: Developing and Maintaining Friendships
      This page discusses the stages of friendship development as outlined by William Rawlins, including how social media influences these stages by allowing instant connections without physical proximity. It identifies six stages of friendship and highlights challenges such as gender differences and cultural influences.
    • 8.3: Developing and Maintaining Romantic Relationships
      This page discusses the stages of both development and deterioration in romantic relationships, highlighting cultural influences on attraction and decision-making. The development process includes six stages, while deterioration involves four stages plus a fifth stage called grave dressing, which facilitates closure post-breakup. Effective communication is emphasized as key to navigating these changes.
    • 8.4: Family Relationships
      This page discusses the definition of family as a group linked by blood or legal ties, living together and evolving in their roles. It outlines the family life cycle with stages like establishing a family and fostering teen independence, noting that communication patterns and conflicts evolve over time. Effective conflict management strategies are essential for maintaining positive relationships within the family.


    This page titled 8: Interpersonal Communication is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Misc (LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.