Theories Of Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication seeks to understand how humans use verbal and nonverbal cues to accomplish personal and relational goals. It is an important area of study, as it helps us better understand how to communicate with others. This paper draw upon interpersonal communication and theories, and applies them to one of my own personal challenges. In doing so, we can see how these theories fit into our everyday lives. In addition, we can also improve our own communication skills, and resolve problems using these theories and communication strategies. This paper will look at communication theories, such as Knapp’s relational stages, jealousy, and relational maintenance in the context of a conflict between my best friend, Vivian, and I. Our

By using communication theories to look at the conflict, we can see how the communication strategies we used encouraged our problems to grow. In order to understand why this separation presented such a difficult challenge for us, it would be helpful to look at the history of our friendship and the foundation on which our friendship was built, which we can do so using Knapp’s relational stages model. Knapp’s model of relational stages explains the steps of relational development and decline (Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013, p. 773). There are five stages in developing a relationship: initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, and bonding. Vivian and I went through four of these stages, the first being initiating. Initiating can be defined as the first interaction between two individuals (Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013, p. 773). In this stage, we create first impression of others by drawing upon visual information. Vivian and I had first met in science class, when our teacher had asked me to move to the seat next to hers.

Social exchange theory states that we are drawn to individuals who could offer us beneficial relationships (McCornack, 2016, p. 296). There are two factors that determine whether individuals choose to pursue a relationship with the other partner: whether the other person can offer us rewards, and whether we think we can find superior rewards from others. I wanted to keep my friendship with Vivian because of the benefits she could offer me. I felt comfortable talking to her about anything, knowing that she would not judge me. I knew that she would offer advice if I needed it. And I knew that we have fun whenever we were together. There were not many friends with whom I felt as comfortable as I did with Vivian. These benefits made me happy, and outweighed any costs that came with maintaining the friendship. Therefore, I chose to address the problem before our friendship was