How Well Do You Know The Theories of Interpersonal Communication?

Study Notes

Interpersonal communication is an exchange of information between two or more people.
It is an area of research that seeks to understand how humans use verbal and nonverbal cues to accomplish personal and relational goals.
Interpersonal communication research addresses six categories of inquiry.
It can take place in face-to-face settings as well as through platforms such as social media.
Communication is a transactional process created by the participants through their interaction with each other.
Communication can be intentional and unintentional.
Communication is irreversible and unrepeatable.
Uncertainty reduction theory is a theory of how we gain knowledge about other people.
Social exchange theory argues that the major force in interpersonal relationships is the satisfaction of both people's self-interest.
Symbolic interaction focuses on the ways in which people form meaning and structure in society through interactions.
The theories discussed in the text include society, self, and mind, relational dialectics, coordinated management of meaning, social penetration, and relational patterns of interaction.
Relational dialectics theory deals with how meaning emerges from the interplay of competing discourses and assumes three different types of tensions in relationships: connectedness vs. separateness, certainty vs. uncertainty, and openness vs. closedness.
The coordinated management of meaning theory assumes that two individuals engaging in an interaction each construct their own interpretation and perception of what a conversation means, then negotiate a common meaning by coordinating with each other.
Social penetration theory is a conceptual framework that describes the development of interpersonal relationships and recognizes five stages: orientation, exploratory affective exchange, affective exchange, stable exchange, and de-penetration.
The theory of communication, known as the "Interactional View", interprets relational patterns of interaction in the context of five "axioms".
A person's presence alone results in them, consciously or not, expressing things about themselves and their relationships with others (i.e., communicating).
Individuals enter communication with others having established expectations for their own behavior as well as the behavior of those they are communicating with.
Established patterns of interaction are created when a trend occurs regarding how two people interact with each other.
There are two patterns of particular importance to the theory: symmetrical relationships and complementary relationships.
Online communication seems to follow a different set of rules, and personal information can be disclosed immediately and without the risk of excessive intimacy.

Relational control refers to who is in control within a relationship.
There are three kinds of responses: complementary, symmetrical, and parallel.
Socionics proposes a theory of relationships between psychological types.
Identity management theory explains the establishment, development, and maintenance of identities within relationships.
Communication privacy management theory is concerned with how people negotiate openness and privacy in relation to communicated information.
Cognitive dissonance theory argues that humans are consistency seekers and attempt to reduce their dissonance.
There are three types of cognitive relationships: consonant, dissonant, and irrelevant.
Attribution theory analyzes how individuals interpret events and behaviors.
Relationships can be analyzed in terms of power dynamics and communication patterns.
Cultural differences can affect the establishment and maintenance of identities within relationships.

Attribution theory assumes that individuals make social judgments to clarify or predict behavior.
Individuals make attributions about observed behavior and their own behavior.
The fundamental attribution error is when observers overemphasize internal attributions and underestimate external attributions.
Actor-observer bias is when individuals overestimate external attributions and underestimate internal attributions about their own behavior.
Expectancy violations theory addresses the relationship between nonverbal message production and interpretations of behaviors.
Arousal occurs when there is a deviation of expectations.
Hurt in relationships can be caused by devaluation, relational transgressions, and hurtful communication.
Conflict can arise from disagreements, negative emotions, and interference.
Technology has added a new dimension to interpersonal communication, but there are concerns about its impact on the development of interpersonal communication skills.
Context refers to environmental factors that influence communication outcomes, including situational milieu.

Description

Are you curious about interpersonal communication and the various theories related to it? Take this quiz to test your knowledge on topics such as social exchange theory, relational dialectics, communication privacy management theory, and more. From face-to-face interactions to online communication, this quiz covers a wide range of concepts related to interpersonal communication. See how much you know about the various theories and their applications in our daily lives. Put your communication skills to the test with this quiz and discover new insights into the complex world of interpersonal