1. The Self and Messages Relationship Development
SUMMARIES
The Self and Messages
Relationship Development
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2. The Self and Messages Symbolic Interaction Theory (Mead)
People are motivated to act based on the meanings they assign to people, things, and events.
Further, meaning is created in the language that people use both with others and in private thoughts.
Language allows people to develop a sense of self and to interact with others in the community.
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3. The Self and Messages
Coordinated Management of Meaning (Pearce and Cronen)
In conversations, people co-create meaning by attaining some coherence and coordination.
Coherence occurs when stories are told, and coordination exists when stories are lived.
CMM focuses on the relationship between an individual and his or her society.
Through a hierarchical structure, individuals come to organize the meaning of literally hundreds of messages received throughout the day.
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4. The Self and Messages Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger)
The experience of dissonance (or incompatible beliefs and actions) is aversive and people are highly motivated to avoid it.
In their efforts to avoid feelings of dissonance, people will avoid hearing views that oppose their own, change their beliefs to match their actions, and seek reassurances after making a difficult decision.
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5. The Self and Messages Expectancy Violations Theory (Burgoon)
This theory is concerned with the structure of primarily nonverbal messages.
It asserts that when communicative norms are violated, the violation may be perceived either favorably or unfavorably, depending on the perception that the receiver has of the violator.
Violating another's expectations may be a strategy used over that of conforming to another's expectations.
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6. Relationship Development
Uncertainty Reduction Theory (Berger and Calabrese)
When strangers meet, their primary focus is on reducing their levels of uncertainty in the situation.
Their levels of uncertainty are located in both behavioral and cognitive realms.
That is, they may be unsure of how to behave (or how the other person will behave), and they may also be unsure what they think of the other and what the other person thinks of them.
Uncertainty occurs at the individual and the relational levels.
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7. Relationship Development
Social Penetration Theory (Altman and Taylor)
Interpersonal relationships evolve in some gradual and predictable fashion.
Penetration theorists believe that self-disclosure is the primary way that superficial relationships progress to intimate relationships.
Although self-disclosure can lead to more intimate relationships, it can also leave one or more persons vulnerable.
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8. Relationship Development
Social Exchange Theory (Thibaut and Kelley)
The major force in interpersonal relationships is the satisfaction of both people's self-interest.
Self-interest is not necessarily bad and can actually enhance relationships.
Interpersonal exchanges are analogous to economic exchanges where people are satisfied when they receive a fair return on their expenditures.
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9. Relationship Development
Relational Dialectics Theory (Baxter and Montgomery)
Relational life is always in progress. People in relationships continue to feel the push and pull of conflicting desires.
Basically, people wish to have both autonomy and connection, openness and protectiveness, and novelty and predictability.
As people communicate in relationships, they attempt to reconcile these conflicting desires, but they never eliminate their needs for both members of the opposing pairs.
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10. Relationship Development
Communication Privacy Management Theory (Petronio)
Disclosure in relationships requires managing private and public boundaries.
These boundaries are between those feelings that one wants to disclose and those one wants to keep private.
Disclosure in relationship development is more than revealing private information to another.
Negotiation and coordination of boundaries is required.
Decisions regarding disclosure require close monitoring.
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