View
- Term
- Definition
- Both Sides
Study
- All (79)
Shortcut Show
Next
Prev
Flip
COM 225: FINAL EXAM
Family |
A group of people who create and maintain a mutual identity, emotional bonds, and communication boundaries through how they interact with each other and with others
–Share a common past, present, and future
–May or may not share a biological heritage
|
Family Types |
Nuclear
Gay/Lesbian
Extended
Blended
Cohabiting
Single-parent
|
Nuclear Family |
A wife, husband, and their biological or adopted children
represent the minorities of families in the US
Not all have stay at home moms or dads
|
Gay/Lesbian Family |
Consists of two people of the same sex governing a household and serving as parent figures for the biological or adopted children of at least one of them
|
Extended Family |
When relatives such as aunts, uncles, or grandparents live together in a common household
|
Blended Family |
Husband and wife parent at least one child who is not the biological offspring of both adults
"Stepfamilies"
40% of marriages are remarriages
50% of children born in 21st century will grow up in blended families
|
Cohabiting Family
|
Consist of two unmarried, romantically involved adults living together in a household with or without children
Couples that live together prior to marriage
to "test" compatibility
|
Single-parent Family |
One adult resides in the household, possessing sole responsibility as caregiver for the children
|
Family Communication Patterns |
Family members that possess beliefs about how they should communicate and interact
evolve as family members co-create shared views of appropriate and meaningful family interaction
Two sets of beliefs:
Conversation Orientation
Conformity Orientation
|
Conversation Orientation |
The degree to which family members view communication as the principal vehicle for maintaining family bonds
High: communicate regularly with each other sharing innermost thoughts and debating a broad range of ideas (establish family rituals: "bedtime stories")
Low: interact infrequently and limit conversations to a few select topics (weather, current events, the like)
|
Conformity Orientation |
Degree to which families believe that communication should emphasize similarity of diversity in attitudes, beliefs, and values
High: use their interactions to highlight and enforce uniformity of thought ("traditional" families: children are expected to obey elders and prioritize family first before self)
Low: communicate in ways that emphasize diversity in attitudes, beliefs, and values, and that encourage members' uniqueness and independence (view outside relationships just as important as with family)
|
Four Possible Family Communication Patterns
|
Consensual
Pluralistic
Protective
Laissez-Faire
|
Consensual
|
High in conversation
High in conformity
|
Pluralistic
|
High in conversation
Low in conformity
|
Protective
|
High in conformity
Low in conversation
|
Laissez-Faire
|
Low in conformity
Low in conversation
|
Maintenance Strategies for Families
|
Positivity
Openness
Assurances
|
Positivity |
Communicating with your family members in an upbeat hopeful fashion
Avoid complaining about family problems that have no solutions
|
Openness |
Treating other family members in ways that are consistent, trustworthy, and ethical
send the signal that other family members can share their feelings and ideas with you without fear of betrayal
|
Assurances |
Assurances of how much your family means to you
Let other family members know that you consider your relationship with each of them unique and valuable and are committed to maintain these bonds well into the future ("I love you", "I will always be there for you")
|
Dealing with Family Tensions
|
Autonomy vs. Connection (pg. 376)
Openness vs. Protection (pg. 377)
|
Family Communication Rules |
Boundary conditions governing what family members can talk about, how they can discuss such topics, and who should have access to family-relevant information
|
Family Stories |
Narrative accounts shared repeatedly within a family that retell historical events are are meant to bond the family together
Provide sense of shared family identity
|
Types of Family Stories
|
Courtship
Birth
Survival
|
Courtship Stories
|
Emphasize the solidity of the parents' relationship, which children find reassuring
How parents fell in love
|
Birth Stories |
Members narrate the latter stage of pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy of a child
Help children understand how they fit into the family ("you'll always be the baby", "Firstborns are always independent")
|
Survival Stories |
Relate the coping strategies family members have used to deal with major challenges
Physical - as with soldiers in combat
Or ability to prevail achieving some form of success
|
Friendships |
Voluntary interpersonal relationships in which the people involved like each other and enjoy each other's company
|
Central Aspects of Friendship
|
Voluntary (select our friends) and negotiate boundaries
Rooted in liking (affection and respect for friends)
Easier to break-off than romantic relationships or kin relationships
Less likely to share open expressions of affection
Power balanced
|
Friendship Fulfills 2 Primary Interpersonal Needs
|
Companionship
Achievement of practical goals
|
2 Types of Friendships
|
Communal
Agentic
|
Communal Friendships |
Friendships that primarily focus on sharing time and activities together
try to get together as often as possible
provide encouragement and emotional support
*ONLY WHEN BOTH FRIENDS FULFILL THE EXPECTATIONS OF SUPPORT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP DOES THE FRIENDSHIP ENDURE!
|
Agentic Friendships |
Friendships that primarily focus on helping each other achieve practical goals
value sharing time together, BUT only if they're available and have no other priorities to handle at the moment
available when need but uncomfortable with more personal demands and responsibilities
|
Friendship Rules |
General principles that prescribe appropriate communication and behavior within friendship relationships
|
10 Friendship Rules
|
Provide support
Seek support
Respect Privacy
Keep confidences
Defend your friends
Avoid public criticism
Make your friends happy
Manage Jealousy
Share humor
Maintain equity
|
What percent of people report having a long distance friendship? |
90%
|
Workplace Relationship |
Any relationship you have with a professional peer, supervisor, subordinate, or mentor
|
3 Dimensions of Workplace Relationships
|
Status
Intimacy
Choice
|
Status |
Most organizations are structured hierarchically
equality or inequality of relationship partners
|
Intimacy
|
Some remain strictly professional
Others = deeply personal
|
Choice |
The degree to which participants willingly engage in workplace relationships
we choose which coworkers we befriend
|
Organizational Culture |
A distinctive set of beliefs or practices
|
3 Sources of Organizational Culture
|
Workplace values
Workplace norms
Workplace artifacts
|
Workplace Values |
Beliefs people share about work performance, dedication to the organization, and coworker relationships
|
Workplace Norms |
What constitutes appropriate for interpersonal communication and relationships
|
Workplace Artifacts |
The objects and structures that define the organization
dress codes, physical layout of workplace or space, motivational items
|
When you join an organization you are... |
socialized into its culture
|
Through... |
formal and informal encounters with established coworkers
|
Organizational Networks |
Systems of communication linkages
|
3 Characteristics of Organizational Networks
|
Nature of information that flows through them
The media or channels through which the informations flows
The frequency and number of connections among people in a network (network density)
|
Nature of information that flows through them...
|
work-related information
personal information - the "rumor mill"
|
Media or channels that information flows...
|
fact-to-face encounters, cell-phone conversations, instant messaging, and email exchanges
Virtual Networks
|
fact-to-face encounters, cell-phone conversations, instant messaging, and email exchanges
Virtual Networks
|
Groups of coworkers linked solely through email, social-networking sites, and other internet destinations
|
Netwrok Density |
How connected each member of the network is to other members
Dense = every worker interacts with every other network member
Un-dense = contact with just one or two other members
|
Workplace Cliques
|
Coworkers who share the same workplace values and broader life attitudes
ex: "slackers", "fast track", or "old timers"
|
Organizational Climate |
Overarching emotional quality of a workplace
usually between defensive and supportive
|
Defensive Climate |
Environment = unfriendly, rigid, and unsupportive of professional and personal needs
|
Supportive Climate |
Workplace = warm, open, and supportive
|
6 Dimensions of Organizational Climate
|
Strategy vs. Spontaneity
Dogmatism vs. Flexibility
Control vs. Collaboration
Evaluation vs. Description
Detachment vs. Empathy
Superiority vs. Equality
|
Strategy vs. Spontaneity |
Defensive = coworkers speak in a rehearsed fashion
Supportive = coworkers communicate in an open way
|
Dogmatism vs. Flexibility |
Defensive = clinging to one's viewpoint and no one else's
Supportive = willingness to questions opinions and discuss other viewpoints
|
Control vs. Collaboration |
Defensive = intention of communication is to control
Supportive = taking other's perspectives into consideration
|
Evaluation vs. Description |
Defensive = negative rumormongering or finger-pointing
Supportive = communicate about problems using descriptive and objective language
|
Detachement vs. Empathy |
Defensive = workers embrace professionalism and exclude personal issues
Supportive = express empathy when listening to others
|
Superiority vs. Equality |
Defensive = power imbalance is strictly enforced
Supportive = encourage people to treat others with respect no matter who has power or not
|
Professional Peers |
People holding positions of organizational status and power to our own
|
Types of Peer Relationships
|
Information peers
Collegial peers
Special peers
|
Types of Peer Relationships
|
equivalent status peers whom our communication is limited to work-related matters
|
Collegial Peers |
equivalent status peers whom our communication is limited to work-related matters
|
Special Peers |
Same statue workers we share high levels of emotional support with, friendship, self-disclosure, etc.
|
Virtual Peers |
Coworkers who communicate mainly through phone, email, etc
|
Mixed Status Relationships |
Relationships between coworkers of different status
|
Upward Communication |
Persuading superiors to suport our work-related needs and wants
Best tactic = Advocacy
|
Advocacy |
knowing how to read your supervisor's communication preferences and how to design messages in ways that will be well received by your supervisor
|
Downward Communication |
Having formal authority in an organization give you freedom in the messages you use when interacting with subordinates
|
Workplace Abuse |
A person verbally or nonverbally behaving in a hostile way toward another person in the organization
|
Sexual Harassment
|
Quid pro quo harassment
Hostile climate harassment
|
Quid Pro Quo |
Person in a supervisory postion asking for or demanding sexual favors
|
Hostile Climate |
Sexual behavior intended to disrupt a person's work performance
|