Deck 9: Romantic Relationships

Question 1

During the initiating stage of relational development, partners begin to concentrate on finding commonalities to increase understanding of one another.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

When a relationship begins the process of moving apart, it will inevitably move to termination.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

During the differentiating stage, relational partners may stop using plural pronouns such as "we"
or "us."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In the triangular theory of love, a single relationship may vary in the degrees of passion, intimacy, or commitment that it experiences over time.

Question 5

The storge love style has been identified as having the most positive characteristics of all the primary love styles.

Question 6

The _______ stage of coming together is known as the "cocktail hour" of interpersonal interactions.

A) initiating
B) experimenting
C) intensifying
D) integrating

Question 7

Elise calls her husband after work and asks him to bring home a gallon of milk, but she doesn't tell him about the disappointment she's feeling because she was passed up for a promotion she was hoping for. This is indicative of the _______ stage of moving apart.

A) differentiating
B) terminating
C) circumscribing
D) avoiding

Question 8

Harlan decides to become a vegetarian, so his fiancée, Jill, begins to experiment with vegetarian meals when it's her turn to fix dinner. Eventually, Jill also adopts a vegetarian lifestyle. This is an example of:

A) integrating.
B) bonding.
C) experimenting.
D) intensifying.

Question 9

A couple demonstrates that they are moving into the bonding stage of their relationship by:

A) getting married.
B) having a common hobby.
C) finding commonalities.
D) referring to themselves by plural pronouns such as "we."

Question 10

Most nights of the week, Andy has been going out after work with his friends and coming home after he knows his wife is in bed so that they don't have to interact. This is the relationship de-escalation stage of:

A) circumscribing.
B) stagnating.
C) terminating.
D) avoiding.

Question 11

In the _______ stage of de-escalation, the partners may spend time together but feel no intimacy due to lack of interaction.

A) avoiding
B) circumscribing
C) stagnating
D) differentiating

Question 12

Which of the following is true of romantic relationships?

A) Relationship de-escalation is much easier to define than escalation because it generally happens much more quickly and more often follows explicit steps.
B) Because romance is an organic and unpredictable thing, it cannot be broken down into a specific process, though some have tried to present it that way.
C) All relationships encounter each of Knapp's stages of coming together, even if they are very brief and may pass unnoticed by the relational partners.
D) Relationship stages are defined not only by how the partners engage with one another but also by how they engage with people outside of the romantic relationship.

Question 13

According to the _______, the components of love are passion, intimacy, and commitment.

A) triangular theory of love
B) relational escalation theory
C) social information processing theory
D) theory of love styles

Question 14

Sampson gets butterflies in his stomach every time he sees his girlfriend Annika. He gets excited whenever he spends time with her and has begun to share more of himself as they have continued to date, but sometimes he still goes out to dinner with his ex-girlfriend, Maura, because he misses spending time with her. According to the triangular theory of love, when it comes to Annika, Sampson is exhibiting:

A) high levels of passion and intimacy, and a low level of commitment.
B) a high level of intimacy and moderate levels of passion and commitment.
C) a high level of passion, a moderate level of intimacy, but little to no commitment.
D) moderate levels of passion, intimacy, and commitment.

Question 15

Trace likes the challenge of finding someone who his friends consider out of his league. When he becomes infatuated with a beautiful woman, he will work hard to win her affection. Once he succeeds, however, he quickly becomes bored and starts looking for someone new. His love style would be classified as:

A) storge.
B) eros.
C) ludus.
D) agape.

Question 16

Jayla gets upset if she sees her boyfriend talking to other women, and she checks his text messages several times a day to make sure he's not cheating on her. This is characteristic of the _______ love style.

A) mania
B) pragma
C) agape
D) eros

Question 17

Xavier and Taylor were set up by mutual friends. They agree that they have a lot in common, and it is convenient for their social life that they already share a group of friends, so being together seems reasonable to them both. This is characteristic of the _______ love style.

A) agape
B) storge
C) pragma
D) ludus

Question 18

The preoccupied attachment style is characterized by:

A) high self-worth and a low desire for interdependence.
B) low self-worth and a high desire for interdependence.
C) high self-worth and a high desire for interdependence.
D) low self-worth and a low desire for interdependence.

Question 19

Consider relationships you have had or witnessed with others that have skipped some of the relational escalation or de-escalation steps. Which steps did they skip, and why? Do you know of any relationships that have followed all the steps as described in the text? Explain.

Question 20

Consider the secondary love styles of agape, pragma, and mania. Which of the three primary love styles (storge, eros, and ludus) are combined to form each? How does each of the primary love styles manifest itself in the three secondary love styles?