Exam 9: Forming and Maintaining Personal Relationships

People often stay in relationships that are unsatisfying or even harmful. Use the ideas of social exchange theory and equity theory to explain why this might happen. Next, talk about ways that friends and family members might be able to persuade their loved ones to abandon these detrimental relationships.

Jordan wants to feel emotionally close to his girlfriend, but he also wants to make his own decisions. Which dialectical tension is he experiencing?

According to equity theory, it is better to be equally benefited than to be over-benefited.

According to the need to belong, we need relationships that are both emotionally close and interactive.

Discuss the differences between Berger and Calabrese's uncertainty reduction theory and Sunnafrank's predicted outcome value theory.

Define and give concrete examples of the emotional, material, and health rewards of strong social relationships.

Most relationships have some measure of interdependence; what differentiates them is their degree of interdependence.

Uncertainty reduction theory suggests that people get to know each other if they believe the effort will be worth it.

Other things being equal, we are more likely to form social relationships with people we see often than with people we don't.

Pick a friend of yours with whom you've had a relationship for at least three months. Identify this friend and provide a brief description of your relationship. Next, evaluate your relationship in terms of social exchange theory. Make sure to include as many parts of the theory as you can.

Which theory says that each of us is born with a fundamental drive to seek, form, maintain, and protect strong social relationships?

________ attraction is the force that draws people together to form relationships.

Dialectical tensions are rare in most intimate relationships.

When you meet Carrie, you are drawn to her as a friend because she is an excellent piano player, just like you are. This is an example of which form of attraction?

When we experience any form of attraction for someone else, we are likely to engage in ________ behaviors, which signal our interest in another person.

Compare and contrast the concepts of comparison level and comparison level for alternatives, using examples for each.

When it comes to forming friendships, similarity is good and complementarity is bad.

Which of the following is NOT a relational maintenance behavior?

Define and give concrete examples of emotional commitment, social commitment, and legal commitment in a close relationship.

Research finds that assurances and task-sharing do not appear to enhance online relationships.