1. Chapter 7
Developing and Maintaining Relationships

2. Interpersonal
relationships
• the interconnections and interdependence
between two individuals

3. Types of interpersonal
relationships

4. Family
• What does family mean?
• A small social group bound by ties of blood,
civil contract, and a commitment to care for
and be responsible for one another.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JYupszByJyU&feature=relmfu Awwww!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=p3wXyyE4_m0&feature=related Ahhhh!

5. Friendships
• What is a friend? What makes a “good friend”?
• A close and caring relationship between two people that is perceived as
mutually satisfying and beneficial.
• What qualities a friend should possess:
• availability
• caring
• honesty
• trust
• loyalty
• empathy

6. Facebook friends
• What does it mean to have friends on
Facebook?
• How are they different than face-to-face
friends?

7. Romantic relationships
• What are your thoughts and feelings when you
think about romantic relationships?
• What is love?
• A deep affection for and attachment to another
person involving emotional ties, varying degrees
of passion, commitment, and intimacy.
• What is intimacy?
• Closeness and understanding

8. Effects of relational
harmony
• Psychological health
• fewer mood swings
• less risk of depression
• lowered levels of stress hormones
• Physical health
• lowered risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease
• Healing
• stronger immune system and quicker healing

9. What is your romantic
love style?
• Eros (beauty and sexuality): Sex is the most important aspect of erotic love. This type of
relationship is quite intense, both emotionally and physically. The focus is on beauty and
attractiveness.
• Ludus (entertainment and excitement): Ludus means “play” in Latin, and the ludic lover
views love as a game. Ludic love does not require great commitment.
• Storge (peacefulness and slowness): Storge has less passion and excitement. Storgic lovers
often share common interests.
• Pragma (deed, task, work): In Greek, pragma means “life work.” Pragmatic lovers are
extremely logical and practical. They want a longterm relationship with an individual who
shares their goals in life.
• Mania (elation and depression): This is the love that is often referred to as “romantic love.”
It exhibits extreme feelings and is full of excitement and intensity, but it reaches a peak and
then quickly fades away.
• Agape (compassion and selflessness): In this type of love, the individual gives willingly and
expects nothing in return. This type of lover can care for others without close ties; a deep
relationship is not necessary for agapic love to develop.

10. Interpersonal attraction
• proximity
• physical attraction
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NMLZnY2nLcw
• similarity
• matching hypothesis
• genetic-similarity hypothesis

11. Genetic-similarity
hypothesis
• What do you think? Is this changing?
• Do you have interracial relationships?

12. Social exchange theory
• the process of balancing the advantages and
disadvantages of a relationship
• Rewards:
• extrinsic - external
• instrumental - resources/favors
• intrinsic - personally satisfying
• Costs - things that cause you stress or annoy you

13. Uncertainty reduction
theory
• when people meet, their main focus is on
decreasing uncertainty about each other
• Strategies:
• passive
• active
• interactive

14. Dialectical tensions
• we have contradictory feelings in every
relationship
• autonomy -------- connection
• openness -------- closeness
• predictability -------- novelty

15. Social penetration
theory
• how people move from sharing superficial
info to more intimate info