Reflect & Relate

1

Introducing Interpersonal Communication 

Defining Communication 

Understanding Communication Models 

Defining Interpersonal Communication

Principles of Interpersonal Communication

Motives for Interpersonal Communication 

Understanding Competence 

Improving Your Competence Online 

Culture 

Gender and Sexual Orientation 

Online Communication 

The Dark Side of Interpersonal Relationships

　Making Relationship Choices: Dealing with a Difficult Friend 

part one / Interpersonal Essentials

Considering Self 

Self-Awareness 

Self-Concept 

Self-Quiz: Test Your Self-Concept Clarity 

Self-Esteem 

Focus on Culture: How Does the Media Shape Your Self-Esteem? 

The Sources of Self 

Gender and Self 

Family and Self 

Culture and Self

Communicating Your Self 

Maintaining Your Public Self 

Disclosing Your Private Self

The Relational Self

Competently Disclosing Your Self

The Online Self 

Presenting Your Self Online

Evaluating Online Self Presentations

Improving Your Online Self Presentation

Improving Your Self 

　Making Relationship Choices: Workplace Self-Disclosure 

Chapter Review 

Perceiving Others 

Perception as a Process 

Selecting Information 

Organizing the Information You’ve Selected 

Interpreting the Information

Reducing Uncertainty 

Influences on Perception 

Perception and Culture

Perception and Gender 

Focus on Culture: Perceiving Race 

Perception and Personality 

Forming Impressions of Others 

Constructing Gestalts

Calculating Algebraic Impressions 

Using Stereotypes 

Offering Empathy 

Self-Quiz: Test Your Empathy 

Checking Your Perception

Practicing Responsible Perception 

　Making Relationship Choices: Balancing Impressions and Empathy 

Chapter Review 

Experiencing and Expressing Emotions 

The Nature of Emotion 

Defining Emotion 

Feelings and Moods 

Types of Emotions 

Focus on Culture: Happiness across Cultures 

Forces Shaping Emotion 

Personality

Gender 

Managing Your Emotional Experience and Expression 

Emotional Intelligence

Managing Emotions After They Occur 

Preventing Emotions Before They Occur

Reappraising Emotions While They Occur 

Emotional Challenges 

Anger

Online Communication and Empathy Deficits 

Passion 

Grief 

Living a Happy Emotional Life 

　Making Relationship Choices: Managing Anger and Providing Support 

Chapter Review 

part two / Interpersonal Skills

Understanding Culture 

Understanding Culture 

Culture Defined 

Co-Cultures

Focus on Culture: Is Technology a Cultural Divide? 

Prejudice 

Cultural Influences on Communication 

Individualism versus Collectivism 

Uncertainty Avoidance 

Power Distance 

High and Low Context 

Emotion Displays 

Masculinity versus Femininity 

Views of Time 

Creating Intercultural Competence 

World-Mindedness

Attributional Complexity 

Communication Accommodation 

Self-Quiz: Are You World-Minded or Ethnocentric? 

　Making Relationship Choices: Parent-Child Culture Clash 

Chapter Review 

Understanding Gender

Gender Is Distinct from Sex and Gender Identity

Gender Is Learned

Gender Is Socially Constructed

Focus on Culture: Gender Equity and Health

Gender and Verbal Communication

Gender and Nonverbal Communication

Same-Sex Friendships

Romantic Relationships

Reflecting on Gender in Our Relationships

Self-quiz: Test Your Sexism

　Making Relationship Choices: Supporting a Gender-Nonconforming Friend

Chapter Review 

Listening Actively 

Listening: A Five-Step Process 

Receiving 

Attending 

Self-Quiz: Multitasking and Attention 

Understanding 

Responding 

Recalling 

The Five Functions of Listening 

Listening to Comprehend 

Listening to Discern 

Listening to Analyze 

Listening to Appreciate 

Listening to Support 

Adapting Your Listening Purpose 

Understanding Listening Styles 

Four Listening Styles 

Gender Differences in Listening Styles 

Culture and Listening Styles

Focus on Culture: Men Just Don’t Listen! 

Selective Listening 

Eavesdropping 

Pseudo-Listening 

Aggressive Listening 

Narcissistic Listening 

The Gift of Active Listening 

　Making Relationship Choices: Listening When You Don’t Want To 

Chapter Review 

Communicating Verbally 

Describing Verbal Communication 

Language Is Symbolic 

Language Is Governed by Rules

Language Is Flexible 

Language Is Cultural 

Language Evolves 

Functions of Verbal Communication 

Sharing Meaning 

Shaping Thought 

Naming 

Focus on Culture: Challenging Traditional Gender Labels 

Performing Actions 

Crafting Conversations 

Managing Relationships 

Cooperative Verbal Communication 

Understandable Messages 

Using "I" Language 

Using "We" Language 

Gender and Cooperative Verbal Communication 

Barriers to Cooperative Verbal Communication 

Verbal Aggression 

Deception 

Defensive Communication 

Communication Apprehension 

The Power of Verbal Communication 

　Making Relationship Choices: Dealing with Difficult Truths 

Chapter Review 

Communicating Nonverbally 

Describing Nonverbal Communication 

Nonverbal Communication Differs from Verbal Communication

Nonverbal Communication Is Influenced by Culture 

Nonverbal Communication Is Influenced by Gender 

Nonverbal Communication Is Liberated Through Technology 

Nonverbal Communication Codes 

Communicating Through Body Movements 

Communicating Through Voice 

Communicating Through Touch 

Communicating Through Personal Space 

Communicating Through Physical Appearance 

Communicating Through Objects 

Communicating Through the Environment 

Functions of Nonverbal Communication 

Expressing Emotion 

Conveying Meanings 

Presenting Self 

Managing Interactions 

Defining Relationships 

Competently Managing Your Nonverbal Communication 

　Making Relationship Choices: Dealing with Mixed Messages 

Chapter Review 

Managing Conflict and Power 

Conflict and Interpersonal Communication 

What Is Conflict?

Conflict in Relationships 

Power and Conflict 

Power’s Defining Characteristics 

Power Currencies 

Power and Gender 

Power and Culture

Handling Conflict 

Approaches to Handling Conflict 

Gender and Handling Conflict 

Culture and Handling Conflict 

Focus on Culture: Accommodation and Radical Pacifism 

Technology and Handling Conflict 

Conflict Endings 

Short-Term Conflict Resolutions

Long-Term Conflict Outcomes 

Challenges to Handling Conflict 

Self-Enhancing Thoughts 

Destructive Messages 

Serial Arguments 

Physical Violence 

Unsolvable Disputes 

Managing Conflict and Power 

　Making Relationship Choices: Dealing with Family Conflict 

Chapter Review 

part three / Interpersonal Relationships

Relationships with Romantic Partners 

Defining Romantic Relationships 

Liking and Loving 

Different Types of Romantic Love 

Key Elements of Romantic Relationships 

Romantic Attraction 

Proximity 

Physical Attractiveness 

Similarity 

Reciprocal Liking 

Resources 

Technology and Romantic Attraction 

Coming Together 

Coming Apart 

Maintaining Romantic Relationships 

Maintenance Strategies 

Maintaining Romance across Distance 

Deciding Whether to Maintain 

The Dark Side of Romantic Relationships 

Betrayal 

Self-Quiz: How Often Do You Betray Romantic Partners? 

Jealousy 

Focus on Culture: Infidelity Internationally 

Relational Intrusion

Dating Violence 

The Hard Work of Successful Love 

　Making Relationship Choices: Managing Jealousy about a Partner’s Ex 

Chapter Review 

Relationships with Family Members 

Defining Family 

Defining Characteristics of Family 

Types of Families 

Family Stories 

Communicating in Families 

Communication Dimensions 

Family Communication Patterns 

Maintaining Family Relationships 

Maintenance Strategies for Families 

Technology and Family Maintenance 

Dealing with Family Dialectics  

Focus on Culture: Autonomy and Class: Helicopter Parents 

Family Relationship Challenges 

Stepfamily Transition

Parental Favoritism 

Self-Quiz: How Much Family Favoritism Exists? 

Interparental Conflict 

The Primacy of Family 

　Making Relationship Choices: Struggling with Family Transitions 

Chapter Review 

Relationships with Friends 

The Nature of Friendship 

Friendship Defined 

Friendship Functions 

Friendship across the Life Span 

Friendship, Culture, and Gender 

Friendship and Technology 

Types of Friendships 

Best Friends 

Cross-Category Friendships 

Focus on Culture: Cross-Orientation Male Friendships 

Maintaining Friendships 

Following Friendship Rules 

Maintenance Strategies for Friends 

Friendship Challenges 

Betrayal 

Geographic Separation 

Self-Quiz: Friendship Distance-Durability 

Attraction: Romance and FWB Relationships 

　Making Relationship Choices: Choosing between Friends 

Chapter Review 

Relationships in the Workplace 

The Nature of Workplace Relationships 

The Culture of the Workplace 

Networks in the Workplace 

Organizational Climates 

Technology in the Workplace 

Peer Relationships 

Types of Peer Relationships 

Maintaining Peer Relationships 

Mixed-Status Relationships 

Managing Up 

Communicating with Subordinates 

Maintaining Mixed-Status Relationships 

Challenges to Workplace Relationships 

Workplace Bullying 

Workplace Romances 

Sexual Harassment 

　Making Relationship Choices: Dealing with Workplace Abuse 

Chapter Review 

Glossary 

References 

Name Index 

Subject Index