Types of Interpersonal Relationships

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Even though your relationship with your friends or significant other is probably more important to you than your relationship with a waiter, competent communication allows you to meet personal needs, whether it’s support after a hard day’s work or getting the right dinner order.

Martin asks Pete, “Do you know my friend Jake?” Pete responds, “I’ve met him once or twice. He seems OK.” In two short sentences, we gain information about the relationships at play: to Martin, Jake is a friend; to Pete, he’s just an acquaintance. We’re all involved in multiple relationships, and we distinguish between them in countless ways: acquaintances, colleagues, friends, close friends, family members, romantic partners, virtual strangers we see all the time (like a Starbucks barista), and so on. Every person has a complex relational network or web of relationships that connect individuals to one another. In this section, we focus on family relationships, friendships, and romantic partnerships, as well as online relationships.