The second dialectical struggle accounted for in relationships is stability versus change. This dialectic is simple to understand because it is something that most people have abided by. Within personal relationships, there is a tension between wanting monotony and routine, and also wanting surprise and change. This internal form of the dialectic is known as predictability versus novelty (Wood, 2004). The reason for this discursive struggle is that partners look to each other for a feeling of security. If things are constantly changing and nothing is habitual in the relationship, then that uncertainty could result in a loss of trust or loss of interest. In a sense, this could be connected with the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, where axiom 7, …show more content…
I have been and I still am involved in many personal relationships in my life, whether it’s with my family, my friends, or a significant other. Within all of my relationships, I have experienced the dialectical tensions of integration, separation, stability, change, expression, and privacy. However, I wasn’t aware that what I was exhibiting was legitimized in a theory. My experiences with these dialectical tensions have ranged from one end of the spectrum to the other. I read somewhere that as individuals become closer, more conflicting tensions will emerge. I agree with that statement …show more content…
Accepting that relational dialectics view allows you to study and understand your personal relationships in a way that you never considered before. Those conflicting pulls that you’ve all encountered in your relationships now have commentary and explanations. When your significant other asks you why you’ve been so distant and you would usually reply with “I just need space,” now you can explain that a healthy relationship needs balance between integration and separation. Those dialectical threads of contradiction, change, praxis, and totality finally make