Relationships: Friends, Spouses, Family

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12 Interpersonal
Relationships Friends, Spouses, Family
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Intimate Relationships
Are marked by high degrees of warmth and
affection, trust, self-disclosure, and
commitment, and are formalized through symbols
and rituals.
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Characteristics of Intimate Relationships

• Warmth and affection
• Trust
• Dependable
• Responsive
• Effect at conflict-resolving
• Faithful
• Self-disclosure
• Commitment

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Types of Intimate Relationships Styles

• Male Relationships
• Female Relationships
• Male-Female Relationships
• Marriage and Long-Term Committed
• Family Relationships

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Male Relationships
Female Relationships

• Relationships are based on shared activities
• Generally have topical conversations
• Intimacy is based on physical nearness
• Use covert intimacy

• Conversations focus on personal and relational
  topics as well as topical
• Intimacy is based on talking, disclosure of
  feelings, secrets and insights

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Male-Female Relationships

• Female intimacy is often expressive, male
  intimacy is often instrumental
• Older people are less likely to have cross-sex
  friendships
• Men are more likely to report cross-sex
  friendships than women
• Women more than men report that dating and
  marriage negatively affect friendships.

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Types Long-Term Committed Relationships

• Traditional share a traditional ideology but
  maintain some independence
• Independent share an ideology that embraces
  change and uncertainty, but are interdependent
  and apt to engage in conflict
• Separate share traditional ideology, but engage
  in less emotional sharing

-Fitzpatrick
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Keys to Long-term Marriage

• Mutual respect
• Comfortable level of closeness
• Presence of a life plan or vision

Microsoft Photo
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Family
A group of intimates who generate a sense of
home and group identity, complete with strong
ties of loyalty and emotion and experience a
history and a future. (Galvin Brommel, 1996)
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Family Communication

1. Contributes to self-concept formation
2. Supplies needed recognition and support
3. Establishes models of communication behavior

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Improving Family Communication

• Opening the lines of communication.
• Confronting the effects of power imbalances.
• Recognizing and adapting to change.
• Respecting individual interests.
• Managing conflicts equitably.

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Problems Associated with Intimacy

• Loneliness desired level of social interaction
  is higher than the level achieved
• Relational uncertainty feeling of doubt about
  the nature of the relationship
• Jealousy the suspicion of rivalry or
  unfaithfulness
• Sex-role stereotyping