Deck 10: Conflict and Power

Question 1

During which of Knapp's stages of relationship termination do couples decrease both the quality and frequency of their interactions?

A) differentiation
B) termination
C) circumscribing
D) stagnating

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Gottman has discovered that satisfied couples maintain this ratio of positive to negative communication:

A) 5:1
B) 8:1
C) 14:1
D) 1:1

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to Gottman's couple typology, this type of couple handles disagreements in a way that is open, but discussions tend to be competitive rather than cooperative.

A) validating
B) volatile
C) conflict-avoidant
D) hostile

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements about same-sex partners is true?

A) Some of them enter into formal relationships known as domestic partnerships.
B) Communication in sex-same partnerships resembles that in opposite-sex partnerships.
C) Satisfaction levels in same-sex partnerships are equal to those in opposite-sex partnerships.
D) All of these are true.

Question 5

The practice of polygamy is, by definition, an exception to which social expectation about marriage?

A) It is voluntary.
B) It is based on love.
C) It is permanent.
D) It is exclusive.

Question 6

Elizabeth and Aaron had been married for six months when Elizabeth started to feel dissatisfied in their relationship. Although Aaron was a nice person and fun to be around, he didn't do any of the cooking or cleaning despite the fact that both of them worked full time. Elizabeth's dissatisfaction was likely due to the fact that:

A) Aaron exhibited a lack of commitment in his behavior.
B) Elizabeth expected an equitable investment in household chores from Aaron.
C) Aaron was enjoying too much interdependence in their relationship.
D) Elizabeth was conflicted by her own dialectical tensions between work and home.

Question 7

This reflects the resources we put into a relationship:

A) interdependence
B) investment
C) commitment
D) independence

Question 8

Your _____________ is the family that includes your parents and your siblings.

A) family of procreation
B) family of origin
C) extended family
D) nuclear family

Question 9

___________ is the desire to stay in a relationship no matter what happens.

A) investment
B) passion
C) commitment
D) intimacy

Question 10

When considering a potential spouse, someone from an individualistic culture such as the United States would likely ask:

A) "What's in it for my family?"
B) "How does my heart feel?"
C) "What will others think?"
D) "Will this marriage last?

Question 11

Which of the following is not one of the health benefits of marriage identified in your textbook?

A) Married people live longer.
B) Married people tend to be healthier.
C) Married people have better sexual health.
D) Married people are less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.

Question 12

All of the following are characteristics of an intimate relationship except:

A) need for deep commitment
B) minimization of interdependence
C) dialectical tensions
D) continuous investment

Question 13

Jordan wants to feel emotionally close to his girlfriend but he also wants to make his own decisions. Which dialectical tension is he experiencing?

A) openness-closedness
B) revelation-concealment
C) novelty-predictability
D) autonomy-connectedness

Question 14

Preliminary research has shown that, compared to heterosexual couples, homosexual couples tend to:

A) display more overt hostility during conflict
B) terminate their relationships at the first sign of conflict
C) take conflict less personally
D) avoid conflict as much as possible

Question 15

Most new relationships end at which stage of Knapp's stage model?

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

Question 16

This occurs when one partner expresses a substantially higher level of interest in the relationship than the other:

A) obsessive relational intrusion
B) stalking
C) codependency
D) inequitable relationship exchange

Question 17

In this marriage type, spouses adopt conventional gender roles and tend to avoid conflict:

A) traditional
B) separate
C) independent
D) mixed

Question 18

At this stage of relationship formation, a deep commitment has formed and there is a strong sense that the relationship has its own identity:

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

Question 19

From a legal perspective, this is the most heavily regulated relationship in the United States:

A) parent-child relationships
B) parent-adoptive child relationships
C) sibling relationships
D) marital relationships

Question 20

Why is the discussion of routine, mundane tasks important to consider in long-term romantic relationships?

A) Most of the communication that takes place in these relationships falls in this category.
B) How to handle these issues can become a major issue of contention.
C) The way couples handle these tasks reflects the balance of power in their relationship.
D) All of these.

Question 21

Research has shown that much of the communication that typically occurs during the initiation phase is now being done online.

Question 22

During conflict episodes, someone playing this family role tends to agree with whatever is said in order to keep others from getting angry:

A) computer
B) distracter
C) placater
D) blamer

Question 23

Siblings usually comprise a child's first peer group.

Question 24

Research indicates that most American households are headed by a married couple.

Question 25

Most relationships have some measure of interdependence; what differentiates them is their degree of interdependence.

Question 26

When Kim described how her weekend plans fell apart, Dean said, "Not everything goes the way you want; that's life." Bret said, "I'm sorry your plans fell through; you must be disappointed." The difference between Dean and Bret's messages is reflected in which of Gibb's message types?

A) control vs. problem orientation
B) neutrality vs. empathy
C) superiority vs. equality
D) strategy vs. spontaneity

Question 27

You send this type of confirming message when you signal that you agree with what another person is saying:

A) endorsement
B) recognition
C) confirmation
D) acknowledgement

Question 28

Couples tend to progress through the stages of coming together in much the same way.

Question 29

An impervious response is one that ignores the person to whom you are responding.

Question 30

The experimenting stage of relationship development occurs when people meet and interact for the first time.

Question 31

Define and give concrete examples of emotional commitment, social commitment, and legal commitment in an intimate relationship.

Question 32

Single-parent families can include biological children, step-children, and/or adopted children.

Question 33

________________ are behaviors that indicate to other people how much we value them.

A) affectionate interactions
B) supportive messages
C) compassionate interactions
D) confirming messages

Question 34

People in arranged marriages are usually unhappy with their relationship.

Question 35

Give brief examples of each of Knapp's five stages of relationship formation.

Question 36

This strategy for giving non-evaluative feedback involves asking questions that will give you more information about what the person is expecting:

A) paraphrasing
B) probing
C) priming
D) offering support

Question 37

Mother, son, grandfather, and aunt are all examples of family roles.

Question 38

Dialectical tensions are rare in most intimate relationships.

Question 39

Identify and explain the primary exceptions to the expectations that marriage is exclusive and marriage is voluntary.

Question 40

People use many strategies for dealing with dialectical tensions. Going back and forth between the two sides of a tension is a characteristic of which strategy?

A) segmentation
B) integration
C) balance
D) alternation

Question 41

Your textbook identified two important patterns of emotional expression that distinguish happy from unhappy couples. Describe the two patterns of emotional exchange in detail. Of the two, which do you feel is more damaging to a couple? Justify your choice by drawing from other information you have learned in the chapter about satisfying and dissatisfying intimate relationships.

Question 42

Think about your parents' relationship for a moment. Following Fitzpatrick's couple types, identify which marital schemata represents your parents' communication pattern. Give specific examples that illustrate and justify your classification.

Question 43

Using what you know about the significance of marital and romantic relationships, make a case for or against the legalization of same-sex marriage. Base your argument not just on your personal beliefs or individual morality, but also on what you have learned in this chapter about the social expectations for marriage and their exceptions.

Question 44

Explain the basic principles behind Petronio's communication privacy management theory. How do couples/families decide the process of sharing information? How are these rules communicated to others? What advantages are there to sharing information freely with outsiders? What are the advantages of keeping information private?

Question 45

What are dialectical tensions in relationships? List, define, and provide an example of the three most common dialectics that emerge in relationships. Of the three, which one do you feel is most important in a new romantic relationship? Justify your choice.

Question 46

Identify and define four different types of disconfirming messages.

Question 47

In no more than three sentences, write a definition of family. Be sure your definition is clear about what counts and does not count as a family relationship. For the rest of your answer, defend your definition, making reference to alternative ways of defining the family and justifying why you defined it the way you did.

Question 48

Give brief examples of each of Knapp's five stages of relationship termination.

Question 49

Compare and contrast family roles and family rituals, giving concrete examples of each.