| Preface | p. xv |
| Acknowledgments | p. xvii |
| Contributors | p. xviii |
| Communication Foundations in Relationships | |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal | p. 4 |
| The Relational Perspective | p. 11 |
| Theories of Relational Communication | p. 20 |
| Connecting Point: Simple-Song | p. 33 |
| Perceptual Processes and Communication | |
| Perception and Self-Concept | |
| Introduction | p. 35 |
| Perceiving the Self | p. 37 |
| Four Important Cognitive Processes | p. 42 |
| Perceptual Filters | |
| Introduction | p. 52 |
| Culture | |
| The Necessity of Intercultural Communication | p. 54 |
| Connecting Point: Thoughts on Communicating in Another Culture | p. 60 |
| When Miss America Was Always White | p. 64 |
| Family | |
| Family Ground Rules | p. 70 |
| Why Examine Family Background? | p. 79 |
| Gender | |
| Growing Up Masculine, Growing Up Feminine | p. 83 |
| 'Put That Paper Down and Talk to Me!': Rapport-Talk and Report-Talk | p. 91 |
| When Black Women Talk With White Women: Why Dialogues Are Difficult | p. 103 |
| Building Blocks | |
| Introduction | p. 111 |
| Elements of Language | p. 113 |
| Listening and Feedback: The Other Half of Communication | p. 122 |
| Connecting Point: How to Be a Good Listener | p. 130 |
| Elements of Nonverbal Communication | p. 132 |
| Context as Communication: McDonald's vs. Burger King | p. 143 |
| Developing Relationships | |
| Introduction | p. 155 |
| Relationship Stages: A Communication Perspective | p. 158 |
| From Miscegenation to Multiculturism: Perceptions and Stages of Interracial Relationship Development | p. 166 |
| The Relationships of Lesbians and of Gay Men | p. 171 |
| Connecting Point: Talk to Me | p. 178 |
| Sustaining Relationships | |
| Introduction | p. 181 |
| Expressing Affection: A Vocabulary of Loving Messages | p. 183 |
| Face Management in Interpersonal Communication | p. 191 |
| The Rules You Live By | p. 199 |
| Belly Button Fuzz and Wicky-Wacky Cake: Rituals in Our Personal Relationships | p. 206 |
| The What, When, Who, and Why of Nagging in Interpersonal Relationships | p. 215 |
| Communicating Forgiveness | p. 222 |
| Connecting Point: A Mom's Life | p. 233 |
| Struggling in Relationships | |
| Introduction | p. 235 |
| Collaborative Negotiation | p. 237 |
| I Can't Talk About It Now | p. 245 |
| Who's Responsible for What? | p. 252 |
| Why Marriages Fail | p. 258 |
| Connecting Point: Don't Talk: Communication Rules in the Alcoholic Family | p. 267 |
| Ending Relationships | |
| Introduction | p. 271 |
| Relational Decline | p. 273 |
| Dialectical Process in the Disengagement of Interpersonal Relationships | p. 277 |
| 'The Worst Part Is, We Don't Even Talk Anymore': Post-Dissolutional Communication in Break Up Stories | p. 284 |
| Connecting Point: The Key | p. 294 |
| Contexts | |
| Family | |
| Introduction | p. 297 |
| Sibling Use of Relational Maintenance Behaviors | p. 300 |
| Communication Within Stepfamily Systems | p. 309 |
| Communicating About Sex With Parents and Partners | p. 317 |
| Child Physical Abuse: The Relevance of Communication Research | p. 325 |
| Connecting Point: Celebrations Come Naturally for Some | p. 331 |
| Friends | |
| Introduction | p. 333 |
| Being There for Friends | p. 335 |
| Friendship and Aging | p. 338 |
| Communication in Cross-Gender Friendships | p. 344 |
| Technology | |
| Introduction | p. 352 |
| Teenage Life Online: The Rise of the Instant-Message Generation and the Internet's Impact on Friendships and Family Relationships | p. 354 |
| Electronic Parenting, or It Takes a (Listserv) Village to Raise Families With Disabilities | p. 362 |
| The Human Moment at Work | p. 373 |
| Connecting Point: E-Mail Communication and Emotions | p. 380 |
| Conclusion | p. 381 |
| Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |