Successful Interpersonal Relationships

An interpersonal relationship is something that takes time and effort from both people. It takes two people taking the time to have a good relationship. In order for a relationship to be successful both people need to be willing to work at it. You have to be able to communicate affectively, know the other persons needs, and be able to solve conflict. Relationships fail all the time because people give up on these things. It is possible for every relationship to be successful but it takes the effort on both ends. My mother and I have a very strong relationship. I am the oldest child of three kids so I was her first born. My mother and I have not always had a strong and well communicated relationship with one another. We went through …show more content…
My mom and I are very similar in our appearance and personality. I have people tell me all the time how much I look like my mom. We both have a strong religious belief and this helps us connect on a deeper level. We both have big personalities and are very loving people. Last year we are always in close proximity when I lived at home. I lived with my mother for eighteen years and saw her almost everyday. This changed after I left for college. I only see her twice a semester if even that. Family rules also applies to my mother and I’s relationship. I can openly talk to my mom about anything that I would not bring up with anyone else. We know what can and can’t be said to each other or to other people when we talk. Our private matters stay between us. Our family had certain expectations and rules that we follow such as following curfews, good manners, and being …show more content…
The first stage for me was intrapersonal repair where I thought about what I had done wrong and how I could fix this. I had to repair my relationship with my mom so we discussed everything at a interpersonal repair level. We first recognized and discussed all of the problems that we thought we had. DeVito says that its not always the conflict that causes the problem but how the conflict is approached. My mother and I proved this to be true. We approached the conflict with the mindset that we were going to have productive conflict resolution. My mother and I both needed to be more open minded to our differences and learn from them. We came up with solutions to each of the problems such as set times to call and check in and just better communication in general. These solutions had to become a normal part of our everyday lives to see change in our relationship take place. Our relationship is now stronger than ever