Chapter 1: Introduction and History of Relationship Science

Question 1

What is relationship science?

Answer 1

Multidisciplinary study of how people thick, feel and behave in social relationships

Question 2

What is a relationship?

Answer 2

Interdependent:
- Interactions exist between two people
-Interactions are bidirectional and have mutual influence
- Interactions extend over time

Question 3

What is an Impersonal relationtionship?

Answer 3

Interdependent:
- Tends to be Task oriented
- Determined by social roles

e.g., prisoner and guard, patient and nurse (Scripts that we tend to stick to when interacting)

Question 4

What is a Personal Relationship?

Answer 4

Interdependent:
- Relatively informal interactions
-Consider each other special and unique
-Deeper emotional connection than impersonal relationships

e.g., acquaintance, work friend, “soccer friend” only see when you do hobbies

Question 5

Close Relationships

Answer 5

Independent and close:
- Close is defined as strong, frequent, and diverse interdependence that last over a considerable period of time.
- Someone that knows you across different contexts and see how you have changed

e.g., best friends, siblings, mother-daughter/son, father-daughter/son

Question 6

Intimate relationship

Answer 6

Interdependent, close AND some kind of sexual passion that could be expressed or shared
Defined as:
- Being characterized by strong, sustained, mutual influence across a wide range of interactions, featuring at least the potential for sexual interaction
-e.g., couples

Question 7

Quality of all relationships?

Answer 7

Interdependent - makes up our social networks

Question 8

Why study relationships?

Answer 8

Relationships are integral parts of our daily lives.
- They can provide health benefits

Question 9

The nature of intimacy

Answer 9

Differs more than casual relations in:
1. Knowledge
e.g history,
preferences,
feelings
2. Interdependence
e.g., frequent,
strong, diverse
and enduring
3. Caring
e.g., more
affectionate than
others
4. trust
e.g., that the
other will treat
them fairly
5. Responsiveness
e.g., responsive
to needs
6. Mutuality
e.g., mutual
understanding
of an us
7. Commitment
e.g., they expect
their
partnership to
continue indefinitely

Answer 10

6.