Relationship discussion questions essay

Relationship Chapter Discussion Questions Culture 1. Explain the idea of “ quanxi” and how it relates to the principles behind collectivist’s attitude toward friendships. -People in the Chinese culture typically make few short-term acquaintances. And friendships are based on quanxi, or social connections. Decision making in collectivist cultures such as Japan, Korea, and China is highly dependent on family members. Families typically decide on their children’s university, profession, and marital partner.

2. Explain the individualist’s attitude toward friendships. Individualist cultures perceive friendships as mostly voluntary and spontaneous.

Individualists (Americans) tend to emphasize passion and intimacy. Relationships 1. Define the term “ family. ” -A “ network of people who share their lives over long periods of time bound by ties of marriage, blood, or commitment, legal or otherwise, who consider themselves as family and who share a significant history and anticipated future of functioning in a family relationship. ” 2. Explain how the family relationship affects other interactions. The family in which we are raised strongly influences our relationships throughout our lifetime.

Early patterns of attachment with our parents affect the attachments we form as adults. Children who are allowed to be both affectionate and independent with their mothers are likely to be comfortable with intimacy and trust in adulthood. 3. Identify the reasons for establishing friendships. -We establish friends based on: a) Similarity- we tend to be attracted to people who validate who we are and what we believe. b) Need fulfillment- provide something that the other person needs, omeone to listen to, and enjoy c) Support- We expect our friends to be there for us. We count on friends to accept us even with our flaws and to accept us as we change over time.

4. Identify problems that may occur at work when cross sex friendships are established. -Professionals tend to be apprehensive about establishing cross-sex friendships because friendly comments may be misinterpreted as sexual harassment, because coworkers may perceive the friendship as an office romance, and because the coworker targeted for friendship may misinterpret friendly overtures as evidence of sexual or romantic interest. Gender 1. Explain the differences of male / female same-sex friendships. -Self-disclosure and intimate communication create closeness in friendships between women. Communication in female same-sex friendships tends to be supportive, caring, and therapeutic in nature.

Communication between women friends often centers around their relationship because the friendship itself is considered important, interesting, and worthy of discussion. -By contrast, male same-sex friends communicate closeness and intimacy in the form of activity rather than talk. Men typically create and experience friendships while engaging in actions that cultivate a sense of camaraderie and companionship, such as watching or playing sports or working on handicrafts or fix-it projects.

Because masculine socialization discourages the communication of emotion, men perceive more likely to help each other with their problems by creating distractions rather than by communicating about difficulties in an explicit matter. Male same-sex friends communicate intimacy in an indirect, nonverbal manner by engaging in friendly competition and affection punches and backslapping. Unlike female same-sex friends, men typically refrain from directly discussing their friendships. 2. Explain “ resent research” findings concerning male intimacy practices. -Recent research suggests that while men express closeness in ways that may differ from women, intimacy that grows from engaging in activities is just as valid as intimacy that grows from self-disclosure and relationship talk. Individual 1.

Explain what family therapists suggest concerning an individual’s ability to establish relationships. -Family therapists suggest that our relationships will merely become attempts to discover who we are if we try to find intimacy without achieving an identity on our own. Without a sense of who we are, we tend to believe that we need a relational partner to feel complete. 2.

How can “ self-fulfilling prophecy” affect relationships? -Self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation that makes an anticipated outcome likely to happen. The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when we tell ourselves that we are unromantic or unlovable and we consequently find that we experience difficulty in initiating and maintaining relationships. 3. How can inflated self-esteem affect relationships? -People who are preoccupied with their own satisfaction may experience superficial and unsatisfying relationships. Focusing solely on our own needs can lead to loneliness and depression; therefore, we should recognize the importance of relationships in our lives. In other words, we should emphasize a commitment to others and maintain a strong sense of self. Relational Transgressions 1.

Explain the difference between an “ apology” and an “ account. ” -An apology is when a person accepts responsibility for the behavior and recognizes its undesirability. They can also help save the offended partner’s face, appease the partner, and restore relational harmony. -An account typically claims responsibility for behavior but minimizes its undesirability or seriousness (e. g.

, “ I knew I shouldn’t have lied but I thought it wasn’t a big deal”)