Understanding Interpersonal Relationships

1
Understanding Interpersonal Relationships

• Chapters 9 and 10

2
Interpersonal communication begins with
predictions.
3
To make predictions, you use three levels of
information about the receiver
4
Cultural Level Information

• You know the general characteristics that person
  shares with a large number of people like him or
  her.

5
Examples

• Geographic differences
• Gender norms

6
Sociological or Group Level Information

• Gives you information about a persons membership
  in a group.

7
Examples

• Scouts Groups one joins
• Methodist church
• Fraternity or sorority
• Teenagers Shared
• Senior citizens characteristics

8
Stereotyping

• When you label people as being part of a certain
  group and treat them as if they only possessed
  all the characteristics of that group, you are
  stereotyping.

9
Individual Level Information

• You have learned the special or unique
  characteristics of a person.

10
Examples

• How past experiences of a person affect the way
  he or she thinks
• Values
• Beliefs
• Attitudes

11
Stages of Relationship

• How people share relationship levels.
• How people move through a relationship to make it
  stronger.

12
Stages of Relationship

• First Meetings

13
Stages of Relationship

• First Meetings
• Friendly Relationship

14
Stages of Relationship

• First Meetings
• Friendly Relationship
• Involved Relationship

15
Stages of Relationship

• First Meetings
• Friendly Relationship
• Involved Relationship
• Stable Relationship

16
Building Interpersonal Relationships
17
Self-disclosure

• Self-disclosure is voluntarily sharing personal
  information or feelings with another person for
  the purpose of building a relationship

18
Self-disclosure

• May be planned or spontaneous.

19
Self-disclosure involves

• Trust
• Risk

20
Empathy

• A skill involved in building interpersonal
  communication

21
Empathy

• A skill involved in building interpersonal
  communication
• The ability to feel with another person

22
Empathy

• A skill involved in building interpersonal
  communication
• The ability to feel with another person
• Differs from sympathy

23
Sensitivity is critical in interpersonal
communication!
24
Developing sensitivity

• Awareness of emotions

25
Developing sensitivity

• Awareness of emotions
• Determining feelings and backgrounds

26
Developing sensitivity

• Awareness of emotions
• Determining feelings and backgrounds
• Put yourself in the others place.