Interpersonal Communications - Chapter 10: Intimate Relationships

Tina always tells her best friend Katie (who she has known for six years) the intimate details of her relationship with her boyfriend Karl. However, when her other friend Ming (who she has known for six months) asks her how her relationship with Karl is going, the most she hears from Tina is "Ok" or "It's cool." The difference between Tina's responses to Katie compared to Ming are probably due which characteristic associated with different types of friendship?

A and C

The following are all types of friendships EXCEPT:

Achievement vs. nurturing

Bill and Janice have been married for 12 years and have two kids ages 6 and 5. Bill is an active father and husband. He helps with shopping, getting the kids to school, doing chores around the house, and ensuring his wife Janice is happy. Based on this description, Bill probably uses the love language of ___________ to show Janice his love for her.

Acts of Service

Donald and Leticia are in a romantic relationship. Frequently, they go for long walks together holding hands and occasionally kissing. This indicates the ___________ characteristic of romantic relationships.

Affection

Research shows that which of the following are highly confirming behaviors that parents can offer to children?

All of the above

Your family has a rule that prohibits entering a bedroom without knocking first. This is an example of a:

Boundary

An important component of romantic relationships for most people is ___________, the promise to remain in a relationship and make it successful.

Commitment

Hilary and Bernie are in a romantic relationship. They have recently married, which indicates the ___________ characteristic of romantic relationships is present in this situation.

Commitment

Sternberg's triangular theory of love identifies three components of love, : intimacy, passion and commitment. If a relationship has intimacy and commitment but not much passion, he classifies it as ________________ love.

Companionate

Many couples who have been married for 30 years or more experience a transition in their relationship, where there is both intimacy and commitment, but a lessening degree of passion. According to Sternberg's love triangle, this would be defined as _____________.

Companionate Love

Successful friendships usually value both _________ and autonomy so that both people feel that they are in a relationship together but remain independent as well.

Connection

Families high in both conversation orientation and conformity are:

Consensual

When two people experience intimacy, passion and commitment, according to Sternberg's triangle of love, they are experiencing ________.

Consumate Love

Pavithra and Kevin, two college freshmen, have been friends since they met in biology class in 10th grade. They describe themselves as "brother and sister" in terms of how much they share with each other, and are either talking, texting or posting on each other's Facebook pages almost every day. Recently Pavithra has realized she is really attracted to Kevin and would like to start dating him, but has not said anything for fear of ruining their friendship. Which category of heterosexual cross-sex friendships best describes their current friendship?

Desires Romance Friendship

Brian and Ross have been dating for a few months. Recently, Brian felt comfortable sharing with Ross that he has some concerns about his current job and is feeling like he may need to look for another one. This is an example of the ___________ dimension of intimacy.

Emotional

Marge and Homer have been dating for a few months. Recently, Marge felt comfortable sharing with Homer that she has some concerns about his current job and is feeling like he may need to look for another one. This is an example of the _____________ dimension of intimacy.

Emotional

Carol and Jonas have been married for seven years. They have an open and trusting relationship with each other, and are able to talk about a wide range of subjects. Carol appreciates the fact the Jonas can actually discuss his emotions. Jonas appreciates Carol's logical approach to issues and problems the couple face. Based on this description, this couple may be successful based on which dimensions if intimacy?

Emotional and Intimacy and Intellectual Sharing

Dave and Becky, both highly religious, were married 35 years ago in the Catholic Church. Over the years they came to realize that they are very different people who want different things out of life. Though the passion is long gone, neither believes in divorce, so they have stayed together, even though they have nothing left in common but their three kids. According to Robert Sternberg, Dave and Becky are experiencing __________ love.

Empty Love

Which of the following is not a characteristic of how families are like systems?

Families do not create rituals

Your text points out that families are much like systems. Which of the following is not a characteristic of how a family functions like a system?

Families do not create rituals.

When Jeff left home to attend The Ohio State University his younger brother Tom realized how much things were going to change. He would no longer have his gaming partner, his daily ride to school, or someone to hang out with on the weekends. It made him a little sad, but he knew his brother was excited about going to college. Based on his feelings, Tom is experiencing which aspect of patterns of family communication?

Family members are interdependent.

Mother-father, mother-son, mother-daughter, father-son, father-daughter, daughter-son are an examples of a:

Family subsystems

Families who are most successful at negotiating adolescence tend to be:

Flexible

Daria's mother and uncle got into an argument. Daria's father was also angry about the situation. Before the situation became too tense, the three of them sat down and openly discussed the problem, which is an example of a family who uses:

High- conversation orientation.

Steve's way of bonding with Delilah is by talking with her about physics, a subject that fascinates both of them. They feel a powerful connection because they share an interest in ideas like string theory. This is an example of the ___________ dimension intimacy.

Intellectual

In family systems, we say that all members of the family are ________________. This means that if any person in the family changes, such as someone getting married and moving out, then the whole system is affected by the change.

Interdependent

Families low in both conversation orientation and conformity orientation are:

Laissez-Faire

Brennan's parents are very supportive of he and his brother finding careers that they love, expressing their individuality by dressing in ways that are comfortable to them, and by helping to make decisions about the household. This is an example of a family who uses:

Low- conformity orientation

One factor affecting the comfort level in stepfamily communication is the type of _____________ used by step-parents.

Parenting style

According to Sternberg's triangular theory of love, __________ is one component, ; it includes physical attraction and emotional intensity.

Passion

Families high on conversation orientation and low in conformity orientation are:

Pluralistic

When the member's of Felicia's family disagree about a major family issue, they all gather around the kitchen table to express their individual points of view. Everyone is given a chance to express their perspective on the situation, and everyone is expected to listen to each other respectfully. This family appears to have a ____________ conversation orientation.

Pluralistic

In a family where the parents' word on a given subject is final, and there is little discussion and the expectation of absolute obedience to the parents' decisions, the family is using a ________ conversation orientation.

Protective

Gary Chapman identified five "love languages" that people tend to consider "love" and how to express it. Which item below is not one of those languages?

Respecting Boundaries

Sternberg's triangular theory of love identifies three components of love, intimacy, passion and commitment. If a relationship has intimacy and passion but not much commitment, he classifies it as ________________ love.

Romantic

The text suggests there are ten behaviors we should use if we want to build a successful friendship. Which two suggestions are directly related to both social penetration and the openness v. closedness relational dialectic?

Share Joys and Sorrows, Maintain Confidences

Indira and Rajeet go to the movies twice a month. They don't need to talk about the movie, they just enjoy going and spending time together. This is an example of the _________ dimension of intimacy.

Shared Activity

______________ is/are a factor in keeping family relationships operating harmoniously.

Shared Narratives

Which of the following items is not one of the dimensions of intimacy specifically mentioned and discussed in the text?

Shared Religious Affiliation

Your text identifies three characteristics that are typically present in a romantic relationship. Which of the following is not one of these characteristics?

Shared activities

Janice, a high school senior, always calls her friend Sarah when she needs to "vent" on something going on in her life. The two have been friends since the first grade, and Janice was crushed when Sarah moved to Indiana six months ago. The two still text each other every day. Which characteristic(s) of friendship might best explain why Janice prioritizes communicating with Sarah over her other friends?

Short versus Long Term Friendships

The biggest challenge in male-female friendship is:

The potential for sexual attraction

Brian and Ilse became a couple and then became very different than when they were single. This is an example that:

a family is more than the sum of its parts

Hugging, holding hands, kissing and sexual activity are all aspects of the ___________ characteristic of romantic relationships.

affection

Homer and Moe have been friends for years and frequently hang out at least three times a week. When Homer lost his job at the power plant he did not tell Moe right away. Moe found out about it a week later from their mutual friend Barney, and Moe was hurt and angry that Homer had not told him immediately. In terms of handling communication in successful relationships, Homer's behavior can be described as _______.

an expectancy violation

Lamar and Lee have been friends for years. Lamar recently broke up with his fiancee and Lee knows that Lamar is really upset about it, though he has not said anything. Lee decides to take him to lunch and encourage his friend to talk about the situation. In terms of generalizations about gender differences in intimacy, Lee's actions ________________.

are consistent with the way men are more likely to express closeness by doing things together rather than sharing deep feelings

Research suggests that both men and women want and need emotional support, and expect friends to provide that support. In terms of same sex friendships, women ___________.

are more skilled at both seeking and providing emotional support and will disclose more personal information than men

Staying out of the kitchen when mom is cooking a big family meal is an example of

boundaries

There are some cultures (including India and China) where arranged marriages are still the norm. According to the text, the single most important factor in determining where couples in an arranged marriage will be happy is ________, followed closely by ____________.

commitment, communication

Friendships are created, managed, and maintained through:

communication

Long-time friends Grace and Kishia had little in common when Grace got married and Kishia was still single. Once Kishia got married, she found herself talking to Grace all the time again. This is an example of:

communication within a friendship changes over time

Successful friendships usually value both ______ and autonomy so both people feel they are in a relationship together but remain independent as well.

connection

Lisa and Katie have been dating for a while and feel that they have intimacy, passion, and commitment in their relationship. According to Sternberg's triangular theory of love, which type of love best describes the love that Lisa and Katie are experiencing?

consummate

Sternberg's triangular theory of love identifies three components of love, : intimacy, passion and commitment. If a relationship has all three components, --commitment, commitment, passion, and intimacy, --he he classifies it as ________________ love.

consummate

The degree to which families favor an open climate of discussion on a wide array of topics is termed:

conversation orientation

Many women think of sex as a way to express intimacy, while men are more likely to see it as a way to ____________ intimacy.

create

Juan and Louise are in a heterosexual, cross-sex friendship. Louise wants the friendship to turn romantic, but is afraid that Juan is not attracted to Louise in a sexual way. This describes which category of friendship?

desires romance

Charlie and Lucy dated for three years before finally breaking up. Lucy could never understand why Charlie never told her how much she meant to him or wanted to cuddle or hold hands in public. Charlie became frustrated that Lucy did not appreciate the numerous things he did for her or the regular gifts he showered upon her. Based on this description, their eventual breakup was possibly the result of _______________.

differences in the love languages they each used in the relationship

Nayib said he would call his friend Sharif when he got home from work. Sharif expects that if Nayib says he will call that he will follow through. When Nayib doesn't call, Sharif gets angry. This is an example of:

expectancy violation

Lamont's family is very traditional. His father is clearly the head of the household, and what he says goes. His mother defers to her husband's judgement and expectations, and Lamont and his sister are expected to do the same. Based on this description, Lamont lives in a ___________.

high conformity orientation family

Talking with a friend about whether or not God exists and if there is order in the universe constitutes what type of intimacy?

intellectual

When comparing intimacy in face-to-face interactions vs. social media, research has discovered that ______________.

intimacy develops at about the same pace and rate in both face-to-face and online settings

Successful friendships include two good ____________, people who pay attention even when the subject is not interesting but their the friend wants to talk about it.

listeners

Your best friend was raised in a household where there was little discussion about private thoughts. This is known as a ____________ family.

low- conversation orientation

When Barbara finishes her shift at the pharmacy, she is usually feeling tired from being on her feet. Martin often gives her a big hug when she walks in and offers her a seat on the couch close to him as she tells him about her day. This is an example of the ___________ dimension intimacy.

physical

Families low in conversation orientation and high in conformity orientation are:

protective

Your family always has karaoke at family functions. This is known as a:

ritual

Cheryl and Anita tease one another and play games. These are examples of what kind of intimacy?

shared activities

Sharon and Deb enjoy going to the movies together every week. They don't necessarily need to talk about the movie, they just enjoy going together. This is an example of the ___________ dimension of intimacy.

shared activity

Recent scholarship indicates that in terms of gender and the meaning of intimacy, women and men are more _________________than different.

similar

Families operate as a _____________ where members interact with one another to form a whole.

system

One major difference between the way men and women express intimacy relates to their differing perspectives on sex. Women tend to see sex as ______ while men view it as __________.

to express intimacy that has already developed; a way to create intimacy

When it comes to gender differences and intimacy, women ________, while men ______________.

women are more willing to make emotional commitments, men are more likely to lack the ability or vocabulary to identify or express their emotions