Real Communication An Introduction

xxiv

Interpersonal Communication 179

chapter 7 Developing and Maintaining Relationships 181

Types of Interpersonal Relationships 182

Family Relationships 182

Friendship and Social Relationships 184

Wired for Communication: To Friend, or Not to Friend 185

Romantic Relationships 186

Online Relationships 187

Communication Across Cultures: Boys Need Friends, Too 189

Why We Form Relationships 189

Proximity 189

Attractive Qualities 190

Similarity 190

Personal and Social Needs 191

Managing Relationship Dynamics 192

Costs and Rewards 193

What About You? Assessing the Costs and Rewards of

a Relationship 194

Reducing Uncertainty 195

Dialectical Tensions 196

Self-Disclosure and Interpersonal Relationships 198

Social Penetration Theory 199

Communication Privacy Management 199

Real Communicator: May Hui 200

Strategic Topic Avoidance 201

Stages of a Relationship 202

Initiating Stage 202

Exploratory Stage 203

Intensification Stage 203

Stable Stage 203

Declining Stage 204

Evaluating Communication Ethics: Money, Family, and

Paying the Bills 206

Repair Stage 207

Termination Stage 207

Reconciliation 207

REAL REFERENCE: A Study Tool 211

For videos and LearningCurve quizzing within LaunchPad, go to bedfordstmartins.com/realcomm

PART TWO

Contents

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