Managing Relationship Dynamics

Page 152

When it comes to relationship advice, you don’t need to look far for what seems like “expertise.” The self-help and magazine aisles at bookstores are brimming with advice on managing and maintaining healthy relationships. While Dr. Phil pontificates on TV and Candace Bushnell (the real-life counterpart of Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw) offers insights on dating, communication scholars explore the way we manage relationships in a far more scientific way. In this section, we explore the dynamics of relationships on the assumption that our connections to others are constantly changing, growing, and evolving throughout our lives (Conville, 1991; John-Steiner, 1997; Knapp & Vangelisti, 2008).