Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships
Instructor Resources
Video and Multimedia
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Chapter 1: Conceptualizing Relational Communication
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Video Links
Connect or Die: The Surprising Power of Human Relationships—Dr. Starla Fitch—TEDxFargo
Description: Chapter 1 introduces you to the concept of interpersonal communication and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Fitch discusses her relationships with her patients using the metaphor of the “cataracts,” which interfere with our ability to see our relationships clearly. How can developing human relationships empower you to connect deeply with other people? She argues that we can choose to either connect or die, do you agree or disagree with her argument?
Interpersonal Communication in the Future World—Celine Fitzgerald—TEDxCarletonUniversity
Description: In this TED video, Celine Fitzgerald discusses interpersonal communication and the implications of what happens when face-to-face nonverbal cues are missing in computer-mediated contexts. How can socializing online with limited nonverbal cues make someone feel lonely and stressed?
Pink and Blue: Communicating Gender to Children—Anthony Schullo—TEDxNorthCentralCollege
Description: Chapter 1 defines gender as one of the characteristics of relationships. Anthony Schullo discusses how parents communicate gender to their young children.
Subtle but Powerful: The Relationship Level of Meaning
Description: In this video, Dr. Glaser distinguishes the difference between the content and relational level of meaning. From your perspective, is it easier to decipher the content or the relational level of meaning in relationships?
One Cannot Not Communicate—What Does Your Message Say About You
Description: One of the interpersonal communication principles states that “one cannot not communicate” and this reflects on how we are always being perceived by others by our mere presence.
Travel New York: People Watching
Description: Communication is inevitable. Have you ever engaged in “people watching” around town? In this video, Sonia practices “people watching” in New York City. How does the “one cannot not communicate in face-to-face settings” apply to this video?
Audio Links
A Romance that Began with a Mistake
Description: In Chapter 1, you learned about the three types of relational goals. Listen to this romance story and identify Bill’s relational goal(s) after discovering the mistake that occurred at the bank.
‘End of Men’ Heralds New Era of Female Dominance
Description: One of the fundamental themes of relational communication includes dominance and submission. In this book review, Hanna Rosin explains how some people may feel uncomfortable with “female power.” Does equalizing men and women in politics and the workplace correspond with equalizing men and women in relationships?
Researchers Study Consequences of Work-Based Friendships
Description: In this NPR interview, research on work-based friendships are discussed. Are work-based friendships voluntary or involuntary? What are the benefits and disadvantages of having friends at work?
Single by choice: Why fewer American women are married than ever before
Description: In Box 1.3 of chapter 1, we learn that the cultural expectations of marriage are shifting in the U.S. and Asia. After listening to this audio clip, think about why women might be delaying marriage in the U.S. Also, think about how the trend of delaying marriage might impact the values and expectations of positive relational communication.
Web Links:
Importance of Interpersonal Communication Skills
Description: Why are interpersonal communication skills important? Why is it important for you to study interpersonal communication in human relationships?
International Association Relationship Research
Description: In Chapter 1 you learned that the field of personal relationships is growing. Visit the International Association Relationship Research (IARR) website and investigate a variety of interpersonal communication organizational websites to learn more about the influence of interpersonal communication research.
Interpersonal Communication Skills Test
Description: Are you interested in assessing your own interpersonal communication skills? Take this short test to determine your interpersonal communication strengths and weaknesses.
Exploring Nonverbal Communication
Description: In this chapter, you learned that interpersonal communication includes both verbal and nonverbal communication. Explore the following nonverbal communication website and take the assessments on each of the nonverbal codes.
Chapter 2: Communicating Identity
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Video Links
How Social Media Shapes Identity—Ulrike Schultze—TEDxSMU
Description: Chapter 2 focuses on the development of identity. In this presentation, Dr. Schultze, addresses the following question: “how are social media shaping our identities?” After watching the video, reflect on the ways that social media shapes your identity.
Defining, Expanding, and Embodying Your Identity—Amy Walker—TEDxPhoenixville
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-w7SzdyXo
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ax758kW6o
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTA_1sLn-cU
Description: Chapter 2 focuses on how you communicate identity. Watch this 3-part series of defining, expanding, and embodying your identity. How do concepts of identity, perception, and self-esteem impact the process of reaching your identity potential?
Description: In chapter 2, you learned about self-presentation and identity. Watch the following award-winning short film on a young female’s identity issues, given her poor relationships at school. How can this young female manage her identity given the strategies offered by this chapter?
Audio Links
Family Secret and Cultural Identity Revealed in ‘Little White Lie’
Description: Culture plays a role in shaping our identities. Listen to the following NPR podcast of the “Little White Lie.” Think about how Lacey’s ‘white’ identity was challenged when she found out that she was African-American. How might her racial self-presentation shift after finding out this information?
Millennials Rewrite the Census for a Better Sense of Selfie
Description: In this NPR podcast, millennials resist the Census characteristics reports about the ‘identity’ of the millennial generation. Explore the different identities and pictures provided by the different millennials.
Juan Gabriel and the Tricky Conversation about Sexual Identity
Description: Individuals often struggle with their cultural and ethnic identity. Listen to this NPR podcast conversation about the sexual identity struggles of Juan Gabriel, as a Mexican-American musician.
Web Links
Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege
Description: Investigate the following activities and discussion questions with a classmate or with a friend to interrogate how diversity issues play a role in developing identity in social relationships.
Tag, we’re it: How Facebook reveals information about current (and past) relationships
Description: This article discusses that being tagged with our partners on Facebook influences our relational identity through self-expansion theory. When tagged with others, the “self” and the “partner” identities overlap, and as a result, you may perceive yourself becoming more similar to your partner. Would you agree or disagree with this finding?
Discovering Who I Am: The Critical Role of Identity in Our Lives
Description: Chapter 2 illustrates the development of personal identity. In this blog, Eugene Beresin discusses the development of identity and how identity shapes our lives.
Description: In chapter 2, you learned about politeness theory. Explore this website to learn more about politeness theory and the different face-threatening acts.
Chapter 3: Drawing People Together
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The Science of Attraction—Dawn Maslar
Description: In this Ted Talk, Dawn Maslar explains how biology plays a role in finding a potential romantic partner. Which biological factor do you think matters the most in romantic relationships?
The Science of Attraction—The Capilano Bridge
Description: In this video, Chris Shepherd walks you through the Capilano Bridge Study to explain how the excitation transfer process works in an engaging manner. How can you use the excitation transfer process to your advantage in the formulation of new relationships?
36 questions that make strangers fall in love
Description: In this experiment, two strangers ask each other 36 questions to determine whether they would fall in love in the end. Based on what you learned about the various factors that influence attraction, how would you explain the outcome of the experiment?
Standards of beauty if not universal
Description: Box 3.2 explores whether beauty is cultural or universal. In this video, Dr. Bev Knox argues that the standards of beauty are based on cultural factors. Would you agree or disagree with her viewpoint on beauty?
Profile Pictures—Science of Attraction
Description: This video illustrates a social networking site experiment to determine the online attractiveness of profile pictures. What makes us display the most attractive profile pictures in social networking sites? Does profile picture attractiveness makes you more socially attractive? How do men and women differ in their perceptions of attractiveness in profile pictures?
Sex Science Matching Phenomenon
Description: Dr. Ross explains the matching hypothesis by illustrating an attraction experiment. Why do people seem to match with others who are similar in attraction? How does similarity impact mating choices?
Audio Links
Success of the smelliest—Sexual attraction and pheromones
Description: In this University of Oxford talk, Dr. Tristram Wyatt discusses the role of pheromones in triggering sexual attraction. Would you agree or disagree with his arguments about the role of pheromones and evolution in sexual attraction?
Do opposites attract? Attractiveness and differences among couples
Description: Do opposite couples attract? This podcast discusses the findings of two attraction studies to determine whether similarity impacts trust.
When dating in the era of divisive politics, both sides stick to themselves
Description: Chapter 3 discusses fatal attraction and complementary relationships. This NPR podcasts discusses how political attitudes can dictate individuals’ dating choices. As a result, several political dating websites have emerged in the modern political landscape.
Web Links
When friends and family disapprove of your relationship: Is the “Romeo and Juliet effect” real?
Description: The “Romeo and Juliet” effect explains relational attraction after parental disapproval. Dr. Karen Blair blogs on the Science of Relationships about how social approval can impact one’s satisfaction levels in a relationship. Have you ever experienced the “Romeo and Juliet” effect?
My, how attractive you are (right now)!
Description: The Social Relations Collaborative blog hosted by Dr. Colleen Sinclair provides blogs on attractiveness and relationships. Investigate the role of biological and environmental factors of social and physical attractiveness.
How (and why) to play hard to get
Description: Examine this Psychology Today blog on the best and worst tactics to adopt when “playing hard to get.” Have you ever played hard to get? If so, was this technique successful? Why or why not?
Description: Can modifying one’s personal appearance be manipulation? To what extent can one manipulate one’s face without deception? Engage in this interactive activity and see if you can recreate the attractiveness of your face, given your selected gender using social scientific concepts such as facial symmetry, facial neoteny, and facial maturity.
Facebook Friends and Attraction
Description: In this Psychology Today blog, Dr. Jack Schafer describes how similarity plays a role in the development of Facebook relationships. How does your social networking site influence your attractiveness on Facebook?
Blinq Dating App Uses AI to Judge Hotness
- https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/11/blinq-dating-app-uses-ai-to-judge-hotness/
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3386686/Dating-app-rates-attractiveness-selfies.html
Description: The University of Zurich has developed a Swiss dating app called Blinq to rate the attractiveness of the “selfies” provided by its users. This mobile app uses artificial intelligence to rank photos based on attractiveness. Explore the articles to determine whether you would use this mobile device to rate your attractiveness level. What personal qualities would you ascribe to the users of this app?
Chapter 4: Making Sense of Our World
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Video Links
Charles Berger on Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Description: In this interview, Dr. Charles Berger explains his insights on the value of uncertainty reduction theory. In what ways do you experience uncertainty about yourself or other people?
Description: In this lecture, expectancy violations theory is explained with several relevant examples. What positive or negative consequences can occur when violating someone’s expectations in a close relationship?
Text Me—An Award-Winning Short Love Story
Description: Modality switching explains how virtual couples can either get more or less close after meeting face-to-face. Watch this short love story about a virtual couple who, finally meet face-to-face. How does the couple deal with their uncertainty and the expectancy violation issues?
Personal Space: How Close is Too Close?
Description: How close is too close for comfort? View this CBS News story to find out what is perceived to be “too close” when it comes to personal space. How does Burgoon’s expectancy violations theory explain discomfort?
Description: Chapter 4 discusses expectancy violations and uncertainty in specific contexts. In this Legally Blonde clip, Elle attempts to reduce uncertainty about her strengths by violating expectations. Was this strategy effective? Why or why not?
Twilight Biology Class Scene Edward’s Golden Eyes
Description: How do individuals reduce uncertainty about each other? In this Twilight scene, Edward and Bella use strategies to reduce their uncertainty and to deepen their relationship.
Audio Links
Description: Listen to this Radiolab podcast about how Facebook helps its users reduce uncertainties in their relationships. What motivates the users to reduce uncertainty online?
Christine Hassler—Expectation Hangover
Description: Listen to this interview with Dr. Michelle Skeen on her book, “Expectation Hangover.” In this Relationships 2.0 Podcast, Dr. Michelle discusses her predictive, context, and prescriptive expectancies, given her personal and professional life choices.
Web Links
Description: This Gutenberg website illustrates the various axioms and theorems of uncertainty reduction theory in relationships. Explore the website to learn more about the applicability of uncertainty reduction theory.
“Clear for takeoff”: Turbulence in Romantic Relationships
Description: The relational turbulence model is discussed in Chapter 4. Read this Science of Relationships blog on a relational turbulence study that explains uncertainty in romantic relationships.
More than just friends? 7 Secret Tests of Attraction
Description: Chapter 4 introduces to seven secret tests that are used to reduce partner uncertainty. Read this article by the New Scientist to use the seven secret tests to find out if one of your close friends is more than just a friend.
Experiment with the Examples of Nonverbal Violations
Description: This Radford University website provides several norm violation exercises. Experiment and try out different forms of norm violations on with a friend, relative, or romantic partner. What was his or her reaction? What does this reaction indicate about the type of relationship that you have with this person?
Tips on Tolerating Uncertainty
Description: Uncertainty is uncomfortable, but can be tolerated. This PsyCentral article discusses tips for tolerating uncertainty in your relationships. Which of these tips correspond with the general strategies for reducing uncertainty in Chapter 4? How can you apply these tips to reduce your partner uncertainty?
Chapter 5: Changing Relationships
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Video Links
Description: This video illustrates Knapp and Vangelisti’s (2008) staircase model of relationship stages using a series of popular film clips. In what ways can you relate these stages to one of your interpersonal relationships? Do you agree or disagree with this typical 10-stage pattern in the relationship initialization and deterioration process? Why or why not?
Description: Chapter 5 discusses the relationship development process and the turning points that occur in relationships. A couple discloses their thoughts about their relationship from beginning to end. What approach is best to illustrate their relationship, the staircase model or the turning point approach?
Stages of a Long-Distance Relationship
Description: In this video, the stages of a long-distance relationship are illustrated. Can you identify the “coming together” stages in Knapp and Vangelisti’s (2008) staircase model of relationships?
Description: The dialectical perspective includes several internal tensions that explain the tensions that pairs go through. In this video, several couples are interviewed about the various tensions in Baxter’s dialectical tensions. How does dialectical theory explain why couples experience tension?
Interpersonal Communications Film “Marriage: Three Dialectical Tensions”
Description: In this video, Brendan Curran reviews the three dialectical tensions with a series of examples. What strategies can be used to deal with these dialectical tensions?
Audio Links
We Need 2 Talk: Most Teens Still Start, End their Relationships Offline
Description: In this NPR podcast, a Pew Research Center study about how teens are developing and ending their relationships through social media is discussed. How does turning point theory relate to the results of this social networking site study?
How a Weekend at Transgender Camp Changed a Mother-Son Relationship
Description: Certain activities and special occasions can shift the quality of a relationship. In this NPR episode, a mother and son enhanced their relationship through attending a weekend at transgender camp. How can turning points enhance the quality of one’s relationships?
Navigating Life, and Relationships, After a Jail Sentence
Description: When someone goes to jail for a crime, this can be a major turning point in the relationships of this individual. In this NPR episode, Faison, a college student, spent eight months in jail and he discusses how it affected his relationship with his uncle.
Web Links
10 Stages of a Relationship from Hello to Goodbye
Description: This article from Live Bold and Bloom discusses the 10 stages of Knapp’s staircase model of relationships. Select a relationship that has previously ended and see if you can relate to each of the 10 stages.
Building Relationships in Cultures that Don’t Do Small Talk
Description: Box 5.2 in Chapter 5 illustrates the developing of cross-cultural relationships. This Harvard Business Review article discusses strategies to build relationships with individuals in cultures that often do not engage in small talk.
What Was your Love Turning Point?
Description: Romantic relationships experience several turning points. In this She Knows blog, three women share the biggest turning points in their relationships.
Description: Chapter 5 discusses relational dialectical theory and the challenges that couples face when managing dialectical tensions. In this article, Sean Owsley reviews dialectical theory in the movie (500) Days of Summer. What dialectical tensions do you think led to the relational breakup discussed in this article?
Relational Dialectics Theory Jeopardy Game
Description: Do you want to review concepts about Relational Dialectics Theory? Test your understanding of RDT with this fun and engaging virtual Jeopardy! game.
Chapter 6: Revealing and Hiding Ourselves
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Video Links
Privacy is Harmful: Jason Pyle at TEDxReno
Description: Communication privacy deals with ownership and permeability. In this TED talk, Jason Pyle argues that privacy is harmful to our relationships and political interactions. Do you agree or disagree with this argument?
Good Boundaries Free You—Sarri Gilman—TEDxSnolsleLibraries
Description: Chapter 6 explains that communication privacy management (CPM) theory explains how privacy boundaries are maintained. In this TED talk, Sarri Gilman discusses the value of setting healthy boundaries in relationship to improve the quality of our lives. How can you develop healthy boundaries in your relationships?
Description: Chapter 6 focuses on the depth and breadth of self-disclosure. In this short film entitled, Post-It, two strangers meet and use self-disclosure to develop a relationship.
Description: Topic avoidance occurs in family and romantic relationships about important issues. Chapter 6 discusses how topic avoidance is common in close relationships. This video argues that talking about finances is a taboo topic. After viewing this video, why do you think it is difficult for individuals to talk about finances?
Kids Tell Their Parents a Long-Held Secret
Description: Intrafamily secrets occur when individuals keep secrets from other family members. In this video, children reveal their long-held secrets to their parents. Think about what relationship-, individual-, or information-based motivations they had in keeping this secret away for the longest of time.
Audio Links
Can Dating App Hinge Make you Talk, Not Swipe?
Description: Initiating romantic relationships online can be difficult. Several apps like Hinge have emerged to facilitate the dating culture through self-disclosure. Chapter 6 demonstrated how the disclosure-liking hypothesis can be applicable to both face-to-face and online relationships. How can the disclosure-liking hypothesis be applicable to apps like Hinge?
Self-Disclosure to Parents in Emerging Adulthood
Description: As we know from Chapter 6, there are risks associated with self-disclosure. In this Relationship Matters podcast, Dr. Jiang discusses self-disclosure of emerging adults to their parents. As individuals age, how do individuals balance connection and autonomy in parent-child communication?
Terrible, Thanks for Asking: Unbroken
Description: Often times, we engage in topic avoidance about relational trauma such as sexual assault. In this podcast episode of Terrible, (Thanks for Asking), Sara Super decides to break her silence of her pattern of topic avoidance and engages in self-disclosure about her experience to help other sexual assault survivors break the silence.
Why Would You Share A Secret With A Stranger
- http://www.npr.org/2015/01/23/377506467/why-would-you-share-a-secret-with-a-stranger
- http://postsecret.com/
Description: Chapter 6 provides us with three general motivations for engaging in secret-keeping behaviors. In this NPR talk, Fran Warren tells us about his website called “PostSecret” and how it enables people to confess their darkest and deepest secrets that they have never disclosed to anyone. Why do you think people continue to mail in their relationship secrets?
Web Links
Disclosing News to Adult Children in Ways that Build Relational Closeness
Description: Parents often struggle to self-disclose a variety of sensitive topics to their children. This Communication Currents article discusses a self-disclosure study that focuses on ways to build relational closeness between parents and their children.
Self-Disclosure Test (General Communication)
Description: Chapter 6 discusses the skill of self-disclosure in relationships. To find out about your self-disclosure strengths and weaknesses in relationships, take the Self-Disclosure Test.
Why Secrets Can Ruin Relationships
Description: How do you manage privacy and secret-keeping in your relationships? In this Psychology Today article, Dr. Robert Weiss discusses how keeping secrets can sometimes be harmful to relationships. Would you agree or disagree with this article?
Why Healthy Relationships Always Have Boundaries & How to Set Boundaries in Yours
Description: Boundary management can benefit your relationships. In this Psych Central blog, Margarita Tartakovsky discusses how to set healthy boundaries between yourself and your romantic partner.
Chapter 7: Communicating Closeness
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Video Links
Invited Lecture: The Importance of Being Prosocial: Kory Floyd, PhD
Description: Chapter 7 describes affectionate communication and affection exchange theory. In this CCARE Stanford University lecture, Dr. Kory Floyd explains the latest research on expression affection and the health benefits of prosocial supportive communication. What are the benefits and risks involved in the giving and receiving process of affection?
Description: There are different types of closeness in relationships. In this 4-min experiment, six pairs in different stages of their relationship maintain eye contact, to determine if it increases intimacy and emotional closeness. After reviewing this video, do you think that eye contact enhances intimacy and emotional closeness? Why or why not?
Communicating Closeness: How Intimate Relationships are Maintained
Description: Chapter 7 discusses different types of social support to nurture close relationships. This UCLA Relationship Institute video discusses how social support nurtures closeness in close relationships. If partners are effective at engaging in social support, how does this impact their partners?
Journalists Test: Interpersonal Closeness
Set 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skbl7xhfReM
Set 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3rlI78urOw
Set 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdKt4EnhCgQ
Description: How does one assess relational closeness? In this experiment, journalists test a 1997 experiment on several individuals, to determine whether asking relationship questions can enhance their relational closeness. What is your perspective on the use of this communicative strategy?
The Power & Science of Social Connection: Emma Seppälä TEDx
Description: In this TEDx talk, Emma Seppälä talks about the power of social connection. What are the health advantages of relational closeness? What are the negative consequences of feeling lonely and socially distant from others in relationships?
Social Support & Wellness—Chandra Story—TEDxOStateU
Description: In this TEDx talk, Chandra reveals her personal story of social support and wellness. How does supportive communication improve our social lives?
Description: This lecture of nonverbal immediacy behaviors displays the different types of nonverbal cues that one can display to improve student-teacher relationships. What nonverbal immediacy behaviors do you use effectively to nurture positive relationships with your teachers, friends, or family members?
Audio Links
Communicating About Sex and Affection
Description: Chapter 7 discusses how to use communication to express affection with one’s romantic partner. In this podcast, Mike Domitrz, a leading expert in sexual culture discusses strategies to help couples communicate about sex and affection. How can couples communicate affection using both verbal and nonverbal communication?
Teen Girls Flip the Negative Script on Social Media
Description: Negative scripts and comments exist in social media. However, in this NPR podcast, teens discuss how they use social media to be socially supportive to other teens. Do you ever use social media to support your friends, romantic partners, or family members? How is online social support different from face-to-face social support?
Measures of affection: Five musical love letters
Description: How do couples express affection to each other? In this NPR podcast, Tom Huizenga shares five musical love letters that communicate affection in romantic relationships. Have you ever written a letter to a romantic partner? If so, what impact did it have in your relationship with this person?
Description: In this Relationship Matters podcast, emotional support baselines in relationships are explored, given the findings of an emotional support study. What occurs when one gets too much emotional support in relationships? What is an emotional support baseline?
Web Links
Description: Chapter 7 illustrates several types of relationship closeness. In this Carnegie Mellon University project entitled Common Cold Project, there is a relationship closeness inventory. Select any close romantic relationship and determine how close you are to this person by taking the relationship closeness inventory (RCI).
Fear of Intimacy and Closeness in Relationships
Description: Dr. Hal Shorey discusses the fear of intimacy and closeness in relationships in this Psychology Today article. What strategies can you adopt to cope with a partner’s avoidance of closeness and intimacy in a relationship? What communication issues might emerge because of a partner’s avoidant behavior?
Description: What are your nonverbal immediacy skills in relationships? Measure your nonverbal immediacy skills in relationships by completing this Nonverbal Immediacy Scale. What are your nonverbal immediacy strengths and weaknesses in relationships?
Are You Getting Enough Affection from Your Partner?
Description: In this Psychology Today blog, Dr. Sean Horan discusses what occurs when one does not get enough affection from one’s partner.
Description: Chapter 7 discusses several social support strategies to enhance relationships. This Communication Currents article suggests that the social support strategies also function to support ill individuals in online settings. What are the differences and similarities between face-to-face and online-only social support?
Chapter 8: Making a Love Connection
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Video Links
The Secret to Intimacy—The Science of Love
Description: Chapter 8 reviews the concept of love as a triangle including intimacy, passion, and commitment. In this experiment, couples engage in a talk show to trigger their curiosity to determine what triggers love. After watching the experiment, what factors triggered “love” in the couples?
Is it lust or is it love?—Terry Orbuch—TEDxOaklandUniversity
Description: Have you ever been in a relationship and wondered whether it was lust or love? Love and lust are not the same concepts; they characterize different types of love. In this TEDx talk, Dr. Terri Orbuch discusses the difference between lust and love in romantic relationships.
Attached—The Science of Attachment—Anxious and Avoidant Loving
Description: This video reviews the behaviors of individuals in different attachment styles. How does attachment styles influence dating behaviors?
Science Bulletins: Attachment Theory—Understanding the Essential Bond
Description: In this video, the parent–child bond is explained through Attachment Styles Theory. Several parent–child observations are illustrated in the video. Why is nurturing a positive parent–child bond so important during a child’s emotional development process?
Attachment Styles in the Film Frozen
Description: Adult attachment styles explain adult behaviors in relationships. In this video, attachment styles are discussed using the characters and the relationships illustrated in the Disney film Frozen.
Audio Links
The Six Love Styles, and How They Help You Date More Successfully
Description: This Late First Date Radio podcast discusses the six love styles. How do these love styles improve your dating odds of success? Which of these six love styles have you encountered in your previous dating experiences?
Attachment Styles: The Little Known Secret to a Happy Marriage
Description: What is the secret to a happy marriage? In this Live True podcast, David and Caron Loveless discuss the value of understanding attachment styles to promote healthy and happy marriages.
Recipe for a Secure, Healthy Relationship with Stan Tatkin
Description: Developing secure attachment styles in relationships can be challenging. The author of Wired for Love: How Understanding Your Partner’s Brain and Attachment Style Can Help you Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship, Neil Sattin, discusses attachment styles in romantic relationships. Do you agree or disagree with Sattin’s arguments?
Web Links
Description: In Chapter 8 you learned about the six types of love. In this Psychology Today article, Neel Burton discusses J. A. Lee’s 1973 book Colours of Love and also suggests a seventh type of love. Do you agree or disagree with his inclusion of philautia?
Finding the “Ideal” Partner when You Feel Insecure
Description: This Scientific American blog offers relationship advice for individuals who feel insecure in finding the “ideal” romantic partner. How can awareness of one’s insecure adult attachment style enhance our ability to find the “ideal” partner?
How to Stop Attachment Insecurity from Ruining Your Love Life
Description: Meghan Laslocky discusses the role of attachment insecurity and relationship issues and provides five strategies to overcome adult attachment insecurity in relationships. Which of these strategies do you think is more effective to manage attachment insecurity?
How to Cultivate a Secure Attachment with Your Child
Description: An article in Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life illustrates how to develop a happy and secure child. Diana Divecha’s new book, Raising a Secure Child, illustrates several research findings on raising secure children.
Attachment Theory: What Every Parent Should Know About It
Description: Parents might not realize the importance of early attachment bonds with their children. This article illustrates attachment styles theory and offers strategies to help parents raise secure children.
What is your attachment style?
Description: Assess your adult attachment style in close relationships. What is your dominant attachment style in close relationships?
Chapter 9: Communicating Sexually
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Video Links
Passion vs. Sex: Ensuring the viability of your relationship—Laurie Betito—TEDxJacksonHole
Description: Chapter 9 illustrates that the most satisfying sex occurs in long-term relationships. In this TED talk, Laurie Betito discusses how to adjust one’s sexual desires over the length of a relationship. In this video she shares that passion is possible to maintain throughout a relationship regardless of the frequency of sexual interaction. Do you agree or disagree with her arguments?
Talking about Whether Friends With Benefits Can Work
Male’s perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Tq33Abqng
Female’s perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfw2YQrPdlw
Description: Do “friends with benefits” relationships work? Watch the perspective of both men and women on their views of whether “friends with benefits” relationships work. What is your perspective on this type of relationship?
Parents Explain—The Birds and the Bees
Description: In Box 9.3 in the textbook chapter, parents are provided with tips on how to talk to their children about sex. In this video, parents try to explain the story of the “birds and the bees” to their children. How would you introduce this important topic to your children?
The Future Evolution of Human Sexuality—Peter Tatchell—TedXOxbridge
Description: In this TED talk, Peter Tatchell discusses sexuality and culture, and the future evolution of human sexuality. How can might one’s culture impact one’s tolerance of others’ differing sexual identities or orientations?
How Love and Sex Works Inside Human Body—Documentary
Description: This Discovery documentary discusses what occurs inside the body when one is engaging in sexual interaction in relationships. Several couples discuss their sexual experiences in their relationships throughout the video. How does physiology and your hormones impact human sexuality and relationships?
When Fantasy Meets Reality: Sexual Communication in Relationships—Mike Anderson—TEDXUMKC
Description: Communicating about one’s sexual desires to one’s partner can be challenging. In this TED talk, Mike Anderson reveals some strategies for communicating one’s desires in relationships.
Audio Links
Hookup Culture: The Unspoken Rules of Sex on College Campuses
Description: The media often represents the hookup culture on college campuses. In this NPR podcast, the unspoken rules of sex on college campuses are discussed. What role does communication play in negotiating these unspoken rules?
‘Girls & Sex’ and the Importance of Talking to Young Women about Pleasure
Description: In this NPR podcast, the author of Girls & Sex explains the importance of talking to girls about sex. She argues that pop culture often provides young women with mixed messages about physical intimacy and sex, which can put them at high risk for unwanted pregnancy.
Workplace Sexual Harassment: A Threat to Victims, A Quandary for Bystanders
Description: This NPR podcast discusses workplace sexual harassment. Interestingly, victims report how uncomfortable it is to report incidents of sexual harassment. Why do you think it is difficult to prevent sexual harassment at work? How can adopting assertive responses benefit victims and bystanders of sexual harassment?
Description: In this Relationship Matters podcast, Dr. Amanda Denes talks about how individuals differ in testosterone and communication after engaging in sexual activity. Do you agree or disagree with her research findings?
Breathing New Life into Your Sexual Relationship
Description: In this American Sexual Health Association podcast, Walker Thornton talks about how to spark your sex life and how to communicate to one’s romantic partner about sexual pleasure to enhance one’s relationship. Do you agree or disagree with her arguments?
Web Links
Description: Learning about sexual communication can leave us with more questions than answers. Visit the Kinsey Confidential Institute, which is one of the leading sexual education resources available. Ask the experts any question that you have about sex or sex in relationships.
Description: Communicating to one’s parents and partners about sex can be an intimidating topic. Visit this website to learn about a variety of strategies to initiate these interactions, to learn how to practice safe sex.
Seven Steps for Safe and Satisfying Sex
Description: Having unprotected sex can put individuals at risk for obtaining sexually transmitted infections. This article by the American Sexual Health Association provides seven steps for having safe and satisfying sex in relationships. Which of these steps would you recommend to a friend?
Description: Box 9.3 in the textbook chapter highlights the different types of flirting styles in the courtship process. Visit this University of Kansas website to take Dr. Jeffrey Hall’s flirting style inventory to find out what your flirting style is. Given your previous flirting experiences, do you agree or disagree with this measure?
Description: In this Psychology Today blog, several factors are illustrated that determine the frequency and the satisfaction of sex in relationships. What factor discussed in this blog article do you think is the most dominant factor in determining sexual satisfaction?
Nine Essential Habits of Sexual Assertiveness
Description: Meg Selig discusses nine essential habits of sexual assertiveness in this Psychology Today blog article. Do men and women differ in sexual assertiveness? What strategies can women adopt to improve their sexual assertiveness before engaging in the resolution stage?
Chapter 10: Staying Close
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Video Links
Laura Heck: Relationships 101: The Science of Great Relationships—Talks at Google
Description: In this lecture, Laura Heck, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses Dr. John Gottman’s Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. In this talk, she discusses how to maintain a long lasting marriage.
Can Men and Women Be Just Friends? The Science of Love
Description: Chapter 10 discusses the various challenges that cross-sex friendships deal with. In this video, an experiment tests whether men and women could just be friends despite these challenges. Why do men and women seem to differ in matching some of their needs in cross-sex friendships?
Adults Have a Harder Time Maintaining Close Friends
Description: This news video discusses the difficulty of maintaining close friends as an adult. What prosocial strategies would you recommend to adults who struggle with maintaining close friends?
Description: Pinocchio relationships are often difficult to maintain. In this short film, a couple meets first meets online, then they met in person, and finally continued their long-distance relationship through the use of technology.
Want a Happier Marriage? Share the Housework
Description: Equity theory explains how couples balance the costs and rewards in their relationship. This video illustrates that sharing housework can benefit marital relationships. What is your perspective on this issue?
Guys Tell Their Friends “I Love You” For the First Time
Description: In this video, males tell each other that they love each other for the very first time. Why is it difficult to engage in prosocial maintenance behaviors such as affection in same-sex male friendships? How can expressing affectionate messages maintain male friendships?
Audio Links
Study: Social Media Play Key Role in Maintaining Teen Romances
Description: This NPR podcast discusses how teens adopt social media to maintain their romantic relationships. A Pew Research Center study found that social media helps teens feel more connected to their romantic partners. What are your perspectives on the use of social media to maintain romantic relationships?
Dr. Arthur Aron on the Science of Lasting Love
Description: In this podcast episode, Dr. Arthur Aron discusses how to make love last in order to maintain healthy relationships. How can one apply strategic and routine-based maintenance behaviors to have a long, healthy relationship?
Social Anxiety and Maintaining Computer-Mediated Friendships
Description: This podcast illustrates the findings of a study of motivations and relational maintenance on computer-mediated relationships. Individuals who encounter social anxiety or social phobia struggle to maintain face-to-face friendships, and as a result they turn to computer-mediated friendships. How can communication technologies help social phobic individuals maintain CMC friendships?
Description: This podcast introduces stories of cohabitation and shares what it takes to maintain this type of relationship. What challenges do cohabiting couples face? What strategies can cohabiting couples implement to make their relationship last?
Web Links
The Care and Maintenance of Friendship
Description: Maintaining quality friendships can improve the quality of your life. In this PsychCentral article, several maintenance strategies are introduced to maintain friendships. Which of these strategies have you implemented to maintain your friendships? Do these strategies work equally well in same-sex versus opposite-sex friendships? Why or why not?
Ben Affleck was Right: Relationships are Hard Work. And That’s OK
Description: Read the following Science of Relationships article to find out why Ben Affleck was right about relational maintenance. Why does he argue that relational maintenance is hard work?
Doing the Work of Relationships: A Maintenance Approach
Description: Chapter 10 introduces several strategies that serve to maintain relationships. In this Psychology Today blog article, Dr. Sean Horan discusses the amount of work it takes to maintain quality relationships. What strategies have you implemented in your relationships?
Love and Technology: The Double-Edged Sword
Description: This Sundial news article discusses the role of technology in maintaining romantic relationships in college. What challenges does technology present in maintaining intimate relationships?
7 Secrets to Making Platonic Friendships Work
Description: In this Huffington Post article, seven secrets are illustrated to help us make cross-sex, non-sexual friendships work after marriage. Can one keep platonic cross-sex friendships after marriage?
Chapter 11: Coping With Conflict
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Video Links
Avoid Avoiding Conflict—David Thornsen, PsyD—TEDxMuskegon
Description: In this Ted talk, Dr. David Thornsen challenges us to “avoid” avoiding conflict in our relationships. Avoidance is a common conflict style that emerges in close relationships. What communicative strategies would you try during a conflict with someone who typically avoids conflict?
How to Talk to Your Dad: Turning Conflict into Conservation—Madeline Poultridge—TEDxOlympia
Description: Madeline Poultridge provides her perspective on how to engage in constructive conflict with one’s parents about issues that one cares about. In this TED talk, she shares how her fights were not always effective, but she discovered mediation skills that helped her to become more effective during conflictual interactions.
Dr. Judith Wright: “The Heart of the Fight”—Talks at Google
Description: In this talk at Google, Dr. Judith Wright, a relational expert, discusses the root of relational conflicts in relationships. Ultimately, she argues that conflict can strengthen rather than harm relationships. After viewing this lecture, think about whether you agree or disagree with her scholarly perspective.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—The Gottman Institute
Description: Gottman’s four horsemen of the apocalypse are discussed in Chapter 11. To distinguish among the four, watch this video provided by the Gottman Institute. Have you ever experienced this conflict pattern? If so, how did it impact your relationship?
Gottman’s 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Description: Gottman suggests that four negative communication patterns can lead to relationship failure. In this video, each of the four horsemen of the apocalypse including complaining/criticizing, contempt/disgust, defensiveness, and stonewalling are illustrated with a few couples. From your opinion, do you think that the four horsemen predict divorce? Why or why not?
Weird Things All Couples Fight About
Description: What do couples fight about in their conflictual interactions? What types of issues emerge in these videos? What conflict styles do you identify in this video? Does this couple use these communication strategies effectively or ineffectively?
Audio Links
John Gottman—How to be a Master of Relationship
Description: In this Neil Sattin podcast, Dr. John Gottman, an expert in conflict management from the Gottman Institute, discusses how to confront conflict in relationships in a constructive manner to master one’s romantic relationships. What research findings discussed in this interview can help couples manage conflict more effectively in their relationship?
How to Keep Money from Messing Up Your Marriage
Description: Couples argue about many issues in the process of a marital relationship. This NPR podcast discusses how we talk about money triggers marital conflict.
Relationship Matters Podcast Number 31 “Conflict Resolution”
Description: In this Relationship Matters podcast, Dr. Keith Sanford from Baylor University discusses conflict resolution strategies in couples, given the findings of his research. According to Dr. Sanford, what strategies are the least effective?
The One Thing Every Distressed Marriage is Doing Wrong
Description: In this podcast hosted by Only You Forever, marriage counselors discuss how negative communication patterns, such as the demand-withdraw, harm marital relationships. What factors contribute to the use of the demand-withdraw pattern? Have you ever noticed this negative communication pattern in your relationships?
Web Links
A Couple’s Guide to Complaining
Description: This Gottman relationship blog focuses on how to cope with a complaining partner. Jon Beaty provides strategies to help partners feel empowered to communicate with partners who constantly complain.
How Conflict Can Improve Your Relationship
Description: In this PsychCentral blog article, Margarita Tartakovsky argues that conflict is not always “bad” in a relationship. On the contrary, conflict can also function to strengthen a relationship. Our approach to conflict, such as engaging in listening and creating healthy boundaries, can improve the quality of our relationships. Do you approach conflict in a constructive or destructive manner with your partner?
John Gottman—Four Types of Conflict Resolution in Marriage
Description: In this Paired Life article, Dr. Yvette Stupart, a clinical counselor and educator, provides insights to understanding the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. How do these types lead to relational dissolution in marriage? Do you agree, or disagree with the 5:1 ratio in relational interactions?
Couples Study Ties Anger to Heart Problems, Stonewalling to Back Pain
Description: A 20-year study by the University of California—Berkeley found that negative conflict patterns such as stonewalling can have a negative health consequences. How can the symptoms of stonewalling be prevented in relationships?
Chapter 12: Influencing Each Other
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Video Links
Description: Chapter 12 reveals three general approaches to parenting including authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative styles. To examine your understanding of each approach, view these series of videos and take the Parenting Style Quiz. Challenge yourself and identify the parenting styles of each parent.
Five Signs of a Manipulative Relationship: Dr. Julie Hanks on KSL TV’s Studio 5
Description: In this television interview, Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks discusses the five signs of a manipulative relationship. Typically, manipulative partners adopt strategies to get us to comply with their needs, wants, or desires. Have you ever been in a manipulative relationship with someone?
Take Control of Your Nonverbal Communication—Nick Morgan—Power Cues
Description: In this interview, Nick Morgan reveals strategies to control one’s nonverbal communication behavior through power cues in our work relationships. What factors influence others’ perceptions of power in relationships?
Description: In this video clip, there different types of eye gazing are revealed. Eye behaviors can indicate dominance in a relationship. How do oculesics reveal power behaviors in relationships?
Gay Marriages Are More Successful Than Straight Marriages
Description: In this video, a marital study is discussed that suggests that non-heterosexual marital relationships may be more egalitarian than heterosexual marital relationships. After reviewing the findings of the study discussed in this video, do you agree or disagree with this study’s claim?
Building Attunement and Gender Equality: Strengthening Relational Processes for Couples
Description: In this lecture, Dr. Naveen Jonathan discusses the egalitarian process in gender roles in heterosexual and non-heterosexual relationships. From his perspective, he argues that partners prefer egalitarian marriages rather than traditional marriages. What factors might contribute to this attitude in romantic relationships?
Audio Links
The Power of Influence in Dating and Relationships With Brad Harker
Description: In this Last First Date Radio podcast, influence expert Brad Harker discusses strategies to influence our partners. How do our influence skills play a role in our dating relationships?
Gain Influence and Balance Power in Important Relationships
Description: Balancing the power in our relationships can help us develop healthy relationships. When power is imbalanced, it can trigger negative emotional effects. In this Therapist Uncensored podcast, power balance in relationships are discussed.
Building an Equal Relationship at Home—What Would a Feminist Do?
Description: Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya talks about nurturing egalitarian relationships from a feminist perspective in a podcast hosted by The Guardian. What power challenges need to be managed in relationships?
Web Links
Four Truths About Power in Relationships (Including Yours)
Description: Chapter 12 discusses how power impacts our relationships. This Psychology Today article empowers us to identify the power dynamics that are occurring in our current close relationships. To find out about the role of power in your relationships, complete the Relationship Power Inventory (RPI) and reflect on how power influences how you interact with your partner.
Who’s the Boss in Your Relationship?
Description: In this Psychology Today article, Dr. Lisa Firestone discusses how imbalanced relationships have one dominant and one submissive partner in a relationship. How does one’s expression of power dictate a relationship?
Power, Control, and Codependency
Description: When power goes unmanaged in a relationship, codependency may occur. In this PsychCentral article, Dr. Darlene Lancer discusses power, control, and codependency in relationships. What strategies does she suggest to balance out relationships?
The Definitive Guide to Parenting Styles
Description: In this Parent Co. article, the various parent styles are discussed to help parents understand their approach in communicating with their children. What parent style(s) did your parents adopt while you were growing up? How did your parents’ style(s) affect how you currently communicate with others in relationships? What parent style do you prefer in raising your current or future children?
Does a More Equal Marriage Mean Less Sex?
Description: In this New York Times article, Lori Gottlieb discusses the sexual habits of egalitarian romantic relationships. What factors are involved in the frequency of sex in egalitarian relationships?
Chapter 13: Hurting the Ones We Love
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Video Links
Male Jealousy Versus Female Jealousy
Description: In this video, Dr. Victoria Wilson, a clinical psychologist, distinguishes the difference types of jealousy among men and women. From your perspective, as a male or a female, do you agree with her claims? Why or why not?
Description: Chapter 13 discusses different types of jealousy including friend jealousy. This video illustrates jealousy that occurs in friendships. Have you ever encountered this type of jealousy? What are the negative outcomes of jealousy in friendships?
Truth Telling in Relationships, Are We There Yet?
Descriptions: Why is it difficult to be genuinely honest in our relationships? Deception is a type of hurtful message that can lead to feelings of distrust in a relationship. Can individuals ever be truthful in their relationships despite infidelity?
Ali and Andrew Part 1: Why Did You Cheat on Me?
Description: In this difficult conversation, Ali and Andrew have a discussion on the occurrence of infidelity in their relationship. What communication strategies does Ali and Andrew use in this difficult conversation?
Online Love and Infidelity: We’re in the Game, What are the Rules?—Michelle Drouin—TEDxNaperville
Description: Chapter 13 emphasizes infidelity in relationships. In this TED talk, Michelle Drouin discusses the issue of online infidelity in virtual relationships. What are the rules of what constitutes infidelity? Do you agree with her arguments? Why or why not?
Cyber Infidelity: The New Seduction—Marlene Wasserman—TEDxCapeTown
Description: Marital and long-term relationships face the risk of cyber infidelity. Marlene Wasserman shares in her TED talk about the reasons why cyber infidelity occurs. Is the emotional infidelity that occurs in cyber infidelity still harmful to romantic relationships? Is it less harmful than sexual infidelity? What is your perspective, on this infidelity issue?
Audio Links
Infidelity: Break Up or Make Up?
Description: After encountering infidelity in a relationship, couples must decide whether to continue their relationship, or break up. In this NPR episode, infidelity is confronted to understand how couples could survive infidelity. Several infidelity stories are revealed in this episode. How does infidelity impact romantic relationships?
Smartphones Are Used to Stalk, Control Domestic Abuse Victims
Description: Obsessive relational intrusion includes stalking behaviors in relationships. In this NPR podcast, the reporter discusses how smartphones are used to control domestic abuse victims. Because smartphones have digital tracking systems, it enables partners to find the location of abused victims as a form of relational intrusion. What is your perspective on this issue? What can victims of obsessive relational intrusion do to protect themselves from harm?
Why Don’t Domestic Violence Victims Leave?
Description: Often times, couple violence leads to intimate terrorism, or incidents of domestic violence. A common question is “why don’t domestic violence victims leave?” In this NPR podcast, this question is addressed.
Web Links
Talking About Hurtful Communication in the Family
Description: In this Communication Currents article, hurtful communication that occurs in the family is discussed. Hurtful communication that occurs in conversations between parents and their children, often trigger emotions during difficult transitions in life.
Social Media and Cheating Can Go Hand in Hand
Description: In this news article from the Star Tribune, Matt Lindner discusses research findings relating to the issue of social media infidelity. From your perspective, does social media play a role in infidelity in marital relationships? Why or why not?
Sex Differences in Romantic Jealousy: Evolved or Illusory?
Description: Box 13.4 in the textbook illustrates the different types of jealousy including romantic and sexual jealousy. In this Psychology Today article, sex differences are discussed. From an evolutionary perspective, men get more upset over sexual infidelity in comparison to women; however, a double-shot hypothesis suggests that both men and women get upset when engaging in both emotional and sexual infidelity. After reading this article’s findings, do you agree with the evolutionary hypothesis for infidelity or the double-shot hypothesis?
Deception and the Destruction of Your Relationship
Description: After engaging in infidelity, couples often engage in deception to avoid getting caught in the act. In this Psych Alive article, extramarital sexual relationships are discussed. How does deception impact relationships?
Six Ways to Get Past the Pain of Unrequited Love
Description: Getting over the pain of unrequited love can hurt. This Psychology Today article discusses six strategies to overcome the pain of unrequited love. What strategy would you recommend trying out if you were dealing with the pain of unrequited love?
Chapter 14: Healing the Hurt
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Video Links
Can You Repair a Relationship After an Affair?
Description: Can the hurt from an affair ever repair a relationship? In this video, Dr. Sue Johnson discusses her research on the affairs that occur in romantic relationships. What strategies does she discuss? From your viewpoint, can relationships be repaired after an affair? Why or why not?
On Healing and Forgiveness—Dolph Lundgren—TEDxFulbright Santa Monica
Description: After a transgression, it can be difficult to display forgiveness in our relationships. In this TED talk, Dolph Lundgren discusses the role of healing and forgiveness in relationships. What forgiveness strategies are the most effective?
Description: In this lecture, Dr. Susan Ward discusses communication strategies to engage in the forgiveness process in close relationships. How does forgiveness impact nonviolence despite the feelings of anger and resentment?
Description: This video shows the difficult process of forgiving one’s own father. The son provides explicit forgiveness using written communication to express forgiveness to his father. Why is it challenging to communicate forgiveness in relationships?
Research is Relational: From Principles to Practice in Reconciliation
Description: In this research presentation delivered at the UPEI Multidisciplinary Graduate Research Conference, Julie Bull discusses the research findings of the principles and the practice of reconciliation in relationships. What principles would you apply to reconcile a former relationship?
Bride and Prejudice: Chris and Lou Reconcile After a Major Fight
Description: After a major fight, Chris and Lou struggle with reconciling after this fight. However, after reading a letter, the couple gets back together. How can reconciliation after a fight strengthen romantic relationships?
The Key to Repairing Damaged Relationships
Description: Dr. Neha Sangwan provides advice on how to repair damaged relationships. Dr. Sangwan argues that forgiveness heals our relationships and ourselves. Do you agree with her “backpack” metaphor in relational forgiveness? Why or why not?
Our Story of Rape and Reconciliation—Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger—TED
Description: In this talk, both the offender and the victim of a sexual assault occurrence discuss forgiveness. What are the challenges of forgiving a romantic partner from a victim’s perspective and from an offender’s perspective? How is the forgiveness process relational?
Audio Links
Why Forgiveness is Essential to Every Relationship
Description: In this Art of Relationships Podcast, the essentials of forgiveness in relationships is discussed. From Chapter 14 you have learned that forgiveness can help heal the pain from hurt feelings. What forgiveness strategies are recommended in this podcast?
A Father’s Grief—And Forgiveness—In Orlando
Description: After the trauma of losing his daughter in the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando, FL, Daniel Alvear chose to forgive the gunman. In this NPR podcast, Alvear discusses the process of forgiving the killer of his daughter. How challenging can it be to forgive the “unforgivable”?
Web Links
Description: In this Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life article, forgiveness is defined. What are some strategies to cultivate forgiveness in our relationships?
Caryl Rusbult: Research Project Descriptions
Description: In this Caryl Rusbult resource page, the investment model of relationship-maintaining behavior is illustrated. What are the antecedents and consequences of commitment and stability? How does the mutual cyclical growth explain prosocial behavior?
Forgiveness: The Secret to a Healthy Relationship
Description: An article by The Huffington Post reveals that forgiveness is the secret to a healthy relationship. Why is forgiveness in relationships difficult to achieve? What forgiveness strategies offered by the article would you implement?
Is Romantic Reconciliation Worth the Effort?
Description: In this Psychology Today article, on and off relationships are illustrated. What does it take to save a marriage? What strategies can long-term relationships adopt to reconcile their relationship?
Why Do Relationship Breakups Hurt So Much?
Description: According to an article by The Guardian, love is addictive and when one ends a relationship it can result in hurtful feelings. From a physiological perspective, breaking up leads to physical and physiological pain. Would you agree or disagree with Dean Burnett’s perspective on this article?
Chapter 15: Ending Relationships
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Video Links
Why Men Never Get Over a Breakup
Description: In this Discovery News video, a study is discussed that found that men struggle with coping with a relational breakup in comparison to women. What are the factors why this claim is made? Do you agree or disagree with these research findings?
Four People Unfriended Me on Facebook, So I Decided to Ask Them Why
Description: In this experiment, a person got unfriended on Facebook by four people and asked each person why this person “unfriended” him on Facebook. To find out why, several people are asked why they might get “unfriended” on Facebook. Have you ever got “unfriended” on Facebook? If so, how did you react?
Do You Really Qualify for Divorce?—Michelle Rozen—TEDxNSU
Description: Dr. Michelle Rozen discusses whether couples are ready to get a divorce. Because divorce has negative outcomes, it is important to know whether divorce is the correct decision. She argues that divorce can be “contagious” because it is a social epidemic given that it is an option for dealing with a relational crisis.
Break-Ups Don’t Have to Leave You Broken—Gary Lewandowski—TEDxNavesink
Description: In this TED talk, Gary Lewandowski discusses the effects of breaking up in relationships. Strategies to reduce the negative outcomes of breaking up are illustrated. What strategies can you adopt to avoid feeling damaged after a breakup, or relationship failure?
Audio Links
Need to Break-Up With Someone? Call the Shop
Description: The lack of interpersonal communication skills in the art of breaking up is evident in our culture. In this NPR episode, “The Break-Up Shop” is discussed to enable users to hire another person to end a relationship for them. What is your perspective on the use of this company? What alternative disengagement strategies would you recommend to the users of “The Break-Up Shop?”
Finding a New Kind of Partnership Through Divorce
Description: Coping with the negative outcomes of a divorce is difficult. In this NPR podcast, Sarah Weeldreyer, a stay-at-home-mom, discusses the divorce process through mediation.
Stronger Marriages: Anatomy of Marriage: I Would Rather Be Divorced
Description: In this Stronger Marriages podcast, a couple discusses the pain of divorce. This episode discusses why long-term marriages fail. Can you identify the stages of the disengagement process?
Web Links
Marriage Therapists Say These Six Things Can Slowly Kill a Marriage
Description: A Huffington Post article explains six things that can destroy marriages. How do these six strategies add stress to the relationship in the disengagement process?
Ten Reasons People End Relationships
Description: What are some of the reasons people end their relationships? In this Psychology Today, article several factors are illustrated. What factor might have the most impact in ending relationships?
Infographic: This is How Your Relationship Will Likely End
Description: Examine the following infographic provided by the Fast Company to determine how your relationship will likely end. Upon examining this infographic, what facts surprise you about ending relationships?
Help for Codependents Whose Relationships Are Ending
Description: In this Psych Central blog article, Darlene Lancer discusses how codependents deal with the ending process of relationships. Because negative outcomes result from losing one’s long-term partner, understanding how to deal with the ending process is important.