Comm 100 Chapter 8 Vocab

Front 1

Proximity

Back 1

How close one is to others

Front 2

Attractiveness

Back 2

The appeal one person has for another, based on physical appearance, personality, and/or behavior

Front 3

Matching hypothesis

Back 3

The tendencies to develop relationships with people who are approximately as attractive as we are

Front 4

Similarity

Back 4

Degree to which people share the same values, interests and background

Front 5

Uncertainty reduction theory

Back 5

A communication theory that argues much early interaction is dedicated to reducing uncertainty about others and determining of one wishes to interact with them again

Front 6

Stage models

Back 6

Models of relationship development that view relationships as occurring in “stages” and that focus on what people do as relationships develop and decline

Front 7

Initiating

Back 7

Stage of romantic relational development in which both people behave so as to appear pleasant and likeable

Front 8

Experimenting

Back 8

Stage of romantic relational development in which both people seek to learn about each other

Front 9

Intensifying

Back 9

Stage of romantic relational development in which both people portray themselves as a couple

Front 10

Integrating

Back 10

Stage of romantic relational development in which both people portray themselves as a couple

Front 11

Bonding

Back 11

Stage of romantic relational development characterized by public commitment

Front 12

Differentiating

Back 12

Stage of romantic relational dissolution in which couples increase their interpersonal distance

Front 13

Circumscribing

Back 13

Stage of romantic relational dissolution in which couples discuss sage topics

Front 14

Stagnating

Back 14

Stage of romantic relational dissolution in which couples try to prevent change

Front 15

Avoiding

Back 15

Conflict style that involves a low concern for self and the other; stage of romantic relational dissolution in which couples try not to interact with each other

Front 16

Terminating

Back 16

Stage of romantic relational dissolution in which couples end the relationship

Front 17

Role-limited interaction

Back 17

First stage in the Rawlins model of friendship formation in which interactions is based solely on specific social roles

Front 18

Friendly relation

Back 18

The stage at which potential friends assess each other to determine common interests and values

Front 19

Moves toward friendship

Back 19

Moving beyond social roles and indicating desire for a more personal relationship

Front 20

Nascent friendship

Back 20

Beginning friendship

Front 21

Stabilized friendships

Back 21

Friendship that lasts over time

Front 22

Warning friendships

Back 22

Friendship in decline or even ending

Front 23

Relational trajectory models

Back 23

Relationship development models that focus on the cognate aspects of relationships and typically analyze how committed relational partners feel to one another

Front 24

Social penetration theory

Back 24

A theory that assumes that as people communicate, they become more familiar with each other and become closer

Front 25

Whirlwind trajectory

Back 25

Pattern of relational development characterized by “love at first sight” and a rapid progression toward commitment

Front 26

Friendship first trajectory

Back 26

Pattern of relational development characterized by gradual progression from friendship to romance

Front 27

Turning point model

Back 27

A model of relationship development in which couples move both toward and away from commitment over the course of their relationship

Front 28

Autonomy/connection

Back 28

A dialectal tension in relationships that refers to one’s need to connect with others and the simultaneous need to feel independent or autonomous

Front 29

Expressiveness/privacy

Back 29

A dialectal tension in relationships that describes the need to be open and to self-disclose while also maintaining some sense of privacy

Front 30

Change/predictability

Back 30

A dialectical tension in relationships that describes the human desire for events that are new, spontaneous, and unplanned while simultaneously needing some aspects of life to be stable and predictable

Front 31

Relational maintenance

Back 31

Behaviors that couples perform that help maintain their relationships

Front 32

Sudden death

Back 32

The process by which relationships end without prior warning for at least one participant

Front 33

Passing away

Back 33

The process by which relationships decline over time

Front 34

Withdrawal/avoidance

Back 34

A friendship termination strategy in which the friends spend less time together, don’t return phone calls, and avoid places where they are likely to see each other

Front 35

Deception

Back 35

Concealment, distortion, or lying in communication

Front 36

Truth bias

Back 36

The tendency not to suspect one’s intimates of deception

Front 37

Jealousy

Back 37

A complex and often painful emotion that occurs when a person perceives a threat to an existing relationship

Front 38

Relational aggression

Back 38

Physical violence against a partner

Front 39

Sexual coercion

Back 39

Physically nonviolent pressure to engage in unwanted sex

Front 40

Homogeneity

Back 40

A high degree of similarity