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Interpersonal Communication : Development Of Relationships

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Miah Wells 4/13/2017 Interpersonal Communication Development of Relationships Introduction: Why we form relationships: Relationships are formed on various influences and factors. “An interpersonal relationship is a strong, deep, or close association or acquaintance between two or more people that may range in duration form brief to enduring. People form relationships based on appearance, similarity, complementarity, reciprocal attraction, competence, rewards and more. Appearance: The first phase when you meet someone is seeing them. Appearance is a primary step in forming a relationship. Think in terms of online dating: Most websites are set up so that you see a profile picture and a few brief words about the person. One must decide …show more content…

“Differences strengthen a relationship when they are complementary – when each partners characteristics satisfy the others need” (,). This is illustrated through the old saying of ‘opposites attract’. For example, an introverted individual may be attracted to an extroverted individual, dominant and passive, balancing and adjusting. Reciprocal Attraction: This phenomenon is illustrated when an individual is more likely to be drawn to other individuals that like them. This is highly useful in interpersonal communications and can be used in numerous advantageous situations. What it comes down to is that liking breeds liking. “People who approve of us bolster our feelings of self-esteem. This approval is rewarding in its own right and can also confirm presenting self-concept that says, “I’m a likable person” (,.) Competence: Competence in interpersonal communication is when individuals tend to like to be around intelligent people. “People are attracted to those who are talented but have visible flaws to show that they are human.” The reasoning behind this attraction is in hope that the skills will rub off on us, but within reason, too much intelligence can be intimidating. Disclosure: When we become very good friends with another person we feel more comfortable disclosing

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