Interpersonal Relationships

A detailed Summary of Interpersonal Relationships

The word "relationship" is one of many words that people use, but have a hard time defining. The dictionary defines it as, "a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings." Physical and economic relationships do not tell much that is useful about interpersonal communication. Interpersonal relationships will help us in doing so. An interpersonal relationship is "an association in which the parties meet each other's social needs to some degree" (Adler G-6). There are four types of relationships: couple, family, a relationship in the work environment, and friendship. Everyone has relationships with many people in their lives and all of these relationships are different. Whether it is with significant others, family, acquaintances, or friends, it is important to know how to have a healthy relationship. For that reason, we will focus on an important interpersonal communication issue that must be dealt with in order to create and maintain effective interpersonal relationships. A couple relationship will be used as an example in order to answer this question.

John and Jane, who are both in their late twenties, have been dating for about two years. Jane met John during a stressful time in her life. He was a lawye

John and Jane have problems dealing with their listening and communication skills with one another. One of the faulty listening behaviors shown is selective listening. Through all the yelling and profanity, "Its all your fault!" is all John remembered. Normally in selective listening, a person will only pay attention to certain things that interest them (Adler 114). This line stood out to him because he felt otherwise. Jane had pushed him to it. Dealing with their communication skills is another matter. They way Jane presented the problem caused it to turn out far more worse than it should have. If she presented it in a different way, and if John listened more tentatively, they would have been on their way to solving their problem.

The first step is to identify the unmet needs. After realizing the problem, it is important to find out what the unmet needs are that left a person feeling unsatisfied (http://members.tripod. com/~Colin_Taylor/howto/sld001.htm). Jane is hurt with John's actions and she wants him to stop. John feels unloved at home and found the attention he craved for at work.

The second step is to find the best time and place to solve the problem. Fights normally occur because one person goes up to a partner who is not ready. (http://members.tripod.com /~Colin_Taylor/howto/sld001.htm). Jane presented her problem in the wrong way and time. She should have requested a way to try to solve it with John. For example, she could call him on the phone and say, "I think we need to talk. Can you come over?" Once a time and place is set, they will be ready for the next step.

John became more involved in his work and his hobby for golf. Soon, he started to spend some time with a young woman at his work. They would have coffee breaks together, send emails to each other, and shared a few jokes. He wanted to feel special. Since John felt neglected, he thought that it was ok to flirt with another woman. As long as he was not getting physical with her, it was not considered "cheating". Jane found out and wanted him to stop immediately. She considered flirting the same as cheating. Whether a person is young or old and in a relationship, flirting is n

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Approximate Word count = 1461
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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