Deck 8: Interpersonal Stress

Question 1

____ attributions refer to temporary situational factors.

A) External stable
B) External unstable
C) Internal stable
D) Internal unstable

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In ____, one person directs a hostile, angry, or accusatory remark toward the other which in turn prompts a negative response in kind from the targeted person.Each round of verbal exchanges leads to attack and counterattack that escalate tensions and conflict rather than lead to resolution and reduced tension.

A) positive reciprocity
B) negative reciprocity
C) demand-withdraw pattern
D) stonewalling

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When we engage in ____, we are defining what we will agree to or accept from others and what we will not.It relates to the concept of boundaries.

A) divorce-stress-adjustment perspective
B) broken record technique
C) heavy control talk
D) limit setting

Answer 3

D

Question 4

____ approaches are designed to reduce tension and conflict, lead to shared problem solving, and result in greater closeness.These approaches value and nurture interpersonal relationships and facilitate personal and relational growth.

A) Attribution
B) Negative reciprocity
C) Low drama
D) High drama

Question 5

Gottman and Gottman (1999) identified a particularly destructive pattern they called the ____, in which one party makes a type of demand on the relationship that leads the other party to withdraw from the interaction rather than attempt to resolve the demand.

A) demand-withdraw pattern
B) positive reciprocity
C) negative reciprocity
D) stonewalling

Question 6

The fourth step of the demand-withdraw pattern is called ____, in which the withdrawing person withholds attention and puts up a wall that blocks communication and cooperation as a way to punish the demanding person.

A) defensiveness
B) contempt
C) stonewalling
D) criticism

Question 7

In active listening, the process of ____ allows the listener to have a non-defensive and non-reactive response and to ask for more information.The process involves a statement like, "please tell me more then so I can better understand where you are coming from."

A) responding
B) paraphrasing
C) clarifying
D) giving feedback

Question 8

The general rule of assertiveness is to give the ____ effective response in contexts in which assertion could be met with punishment (e.g., potential blowback from making the assertive statement).

A) maximally
B) minimally
C) neutrally
D) flatly

Question 9

Dissatisfied couples tend to attribute each others' negative behaviors to ____ causes such as "he is a jerk" or "she is a witch." Thus, the target person is regarded as permanently defective or bad in some regard.

A) external unstable
B) external stable
C) internal unstable
D) internal stable

Question 10

Satisfied couples tend to attribute each others' negative behaviors to ____ factors such as "he's had a bad day" or "she is under a lot of stress."

A) internal stable
B) internal unstable
C) external unstable
D) external stable

Question 11

____ suggests readiness for flight, so the person may lean away, avoid eye contact, shuffle the feet, fidget, or in some other way indicate a readiness to flee.

A) Nervousness
B) Anger
C) Sadness
D) Gladness

Question 12

When we make ____ attributions, we attribute the cause of the target person's behavior to personality or traits.

A) external stable
B) internal unstable
C) external unstable
D) internal stable

Question 13

____ is defined as "beliefs, attitudes, institutional arrangements, and acts that tend to denigrate individuals or groups because of phenotypic characteristics or ethnic group affiliation."

A) Prejudice
B) Racism
C) Discrimination
D) Perceived racism

Question 14

Sometimes a culture is embedded within a surrounding culture.When this happens the embedded culture is referred to as a ____.

A) subculture
B) superculture
C) biculture
D) supraculture

Question 15

____ is a hormone found in high concentrations in nursing women that is believed to facilitate maternal-infant bonding.

A) Serotonin
B) Norepinephrine
C) Dopamine
D) Oxytocin

Question 16

We can use ____ when we engage in what has been referred to variously as clean communication, straight talk, or assertiveness.

A) iron fist communication
B) velvet glove communication
C) game playing
D) constructive influence

Question 17

The ____ model of social support suggests that social support has beneficial health and well-being effects independent of the level of stress.In other words, social support is a good tonic that has a positive effect regardless of stress levels (i.e., in high and low stress situations).

A) direct buffer
B) stress effect
C) direct effect
D) stress buffer

Question 18

At its simplest level active listening involves ____ what the other person just said.It is often prefaced by statements like "You are telling me that ...I'm hearing you say that ...Let me get this straight ...It sounds like ...You seem to be saying ...If I understand you correctly ...In other words..."

A) responding to
B) clarifying
C) paraphrasing
D) analyzing

Question 19

According to the ____ model of social support, social support moderates the effects of stress-that is, it lessens the negative effects of exposure to stressors (i.e., it serves as a shock absorber).This model predicts that social support is beneficial only under stressful conditions (when shock absorbers are most needed).

A) direct effect
B) stress buffer
C) direct buffer
D) stress effect

Question 20

An important part of using the ____ approach is to accept responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

A) low-drama
B) high-drama
C) positive reciprocity
D) negative reciprocity

Question 21

Define social strain.

Question 22

In their book entitled, Couple Skills: Making Your Relationship Work, the authors McKay, Fanning, and Paleg (2006, pp.57-61) list the "Ten Commandments of Clean Communication." List the four parts of the commandment "Use whole messages."

Question 23

Describe the immunological evidence showing that social strain can produce physiological conditions that increase the risk for adverse health.

Question 24

Define attributions.

Question 25

Describe a "Duchenne smile."

Question 26

Why have the predominance of studies in the area of perceived racism focused on African Americans?

Question 27

List the six emotions that have universal characteristics that are easily decoded regardless of the culture of the observer.

Question 28

What is the central challenge of bicultural adaptation?

Question 29

Which is most true, "opposites attract" or "birds of a feather flock together"? Explain your position.

Question 30

Define positive reciprocity.

Question 31

Looking at the health benefits of marriage, why do men have five times more benefit from marriage than women?

Question 32

What are the unique challenges associated with biculturalism?

Question 33

In their book entitled, Couple Skills: Making Your Relationship Work, the authors McKay, Fanning, and Paleg (2006, pp.57-61) list the "Ten Commandments of Clean Communication." Describe the commandment "Use clear messages."

Question 34

Define boundaries.What does it mean to protect one's boundaries?

Question 35

Describe the process of triangulation.

Question 36

No matter how smoothly communication flows between couples, there will be times when interests will diverge.It is at times like these that couples are often unknowingly involved in negotiations.What is the key to successful negotiations?

Question 37

Describe the mythic drama triangle.What does it involve? Provide an example.

Question 38

According to Clark et al., why is measuring perceived racism important to understanding the psychological and physiological consequences of the phenomenon?

Question 39

According to Shelly Taylor and her colleagues, why is the behavioral tendency toward affiliation stronger in females than males?

Question 40

Enumerate the benefits of maintaining a secure ethnic identity.

Question 41

Through what biological systems does social support have an impact?

Question 42

Enumerate the choices for minority group members when dealing with the unique challenges associated with biculturalism.

Question 43

How stressful is the process of divorce? How difficult is it to adjust to the stress of divorce and its aftermath? Use the divorce-stress-adjustment perspective in answering these questions.

Question 44

List the stressors or risk factors that make adjustment to divorce more difficult.

Question 45

One way to achieve empathy is to use active listening.Compare and contrast this process with passive listening.

Question 46

In their book entitled Straight Talk: A New Way to Get Closer to Others by Saying What You Really Mean, Miller, Wackman, Nunnally, and Saline (1982) characterize two forms of heavy control communication, the iron fist and the velvet glove.Describe these two forms of communication.

Question 47

List the moderators that serve as protective factors (i.e., shock absorbers) against the stress of the divorce.

Question 48

Define social support.What can be measured according to this construct?

Question 49

Describe the stages of negotiation.