Chapter 9 - Objectives

Objectives

 

After reading the material in Chapter Nine of Looking Out/Looking In, you should understand:

1.   Why we form relationships.

2.   The ten stages of interpersonal relationships.

3.   Three types of dialectical tensions.

4.   Strategies for managing dialectical tensions.

5.   How relationships are impacted by change and culture.

6.   The content and relational aspects of messages.

7.   Four types of relational messages.

8.   The concept of metacommunication.

 

Specifically, you should be able to:

1.   Identify factors that have influenced your choice of relational partners.

2.   Use Knapp’s model to describe the nature of communication in the various stages of a relationship.

3.   Describe the dialectical tensions in a given relationship, how they influence communication, and the most effective strategies for managing them.

4.   Explain how change and culture affect communication in interpersonal relationships.

5.   Identify the content and relational dimensions of communication in a given transaction.

6.   Describe how metacommunication can be used to improve the quality of a given relationship.