Two Theories Of Communication In Relationships

To most, being in a relationship is one of the most important and rewarding aspects of one’s life. Considering the significance of relationships, it is always in one’s best interest to make them fulfilling, and the most important part of making a relationship work is communication. There are a multitude of factors that differentiate types of communication whether it is one’s gender, personality or position. With this being said, it is imperative for couples to understand how they and their spouse each communicate and respond to one another for the well-being of their relationship. The couple I chose to interview for this assignment consists of my friend Cody and his wife Mandy. Cody and Mandy have been together for 6 years now and they live …show more content…
Resource theory suggests that the balance of power in a marriage or relationship reflects the relative resources of each spouse. The resources could be money, occupation, education, emotional support, parenting skills, homemaking or money management skills. For example, it could be argued that Cody holds power over Mandy financially considering he has a higher paying job. He has worked at the same tech company for years and has moved up and makes a considerably larger salary than Mandy who has only recently started her career in cosmetology. However, Cody has always had an issue with spending money on the latest electronics and Mandy has always had a better handle when it comes to financial decision making. Since they have been living together, she has kept a close eye on both their spending habits and has invested their money wisely, so it could also be argued that she has the power when it comes to money management. This could have led to conflict, but they seem to have found a balance and understanding of each other’s strengths and …show more content…
The six types are Coercive, Reward, Expert, Legitimate, Referent and Informational. Coercive power consists of using punishment as a way to achieve a position of power; this could consist of emotional or even physical punishment. Reward power is the use of rewarding the other with things such as verbal praise, absence of criticism or perhaps even sexual favors in an effort too illicit more power. Expert power is the use of special knowledge on has over the other to attain more control. Legitimate power consists of authority given to someone in the relationship in an earlier agreement. Referent power is when one admires the things the other does and immolates them to better understand them. Finally, informational power is when a person in the relationship is persuaded by their partner because they are convinced of their