KEY TERMS

Chapter Activities

1. Write a short essay applying one of the relational tensions or dialectics that were discussed in the text to a past or current romantic relationship, or a relationship you have observed. Carefully define the tension, briefly describe the relationship, and provide thorough examples of the tension. Describe how you or the other couple dealt with the tension in the relationship.

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2. Do “birds of a feather flock together” or do “opposites attract”? Take a stance on the question and prepare a rationale to share with the class. Do culture or gender influence different perspectives on similarity and attraction?

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3. Choose a romantic relationship from literature, film, or television to analyze using Knapp’s relational stages of coming together or coming apart. Write a brief description of the relationship in general. Then, in an analysis essay, carefully define each stage the couple experienced and provide examples. Discuss how the relationship both conformed to and defied Knapp’s stages.

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4. View the Web site iBreakUp.net, which claims to be the “premiere full-service relationship separation service.” Would you use this site to terminate a romantic relationship? If so, under what circumstances? How would you feel if a partner ended a relationship in this manner? Is this type of technology useful, or more of a hindrance to romantic relationships?

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5. Watch the video on relational maintenance with a small group of classmates. Then, create a role play demonstrating one of the three strategies for relational maintenance. Be prepared to discuss different ways in which the relational maintenance strategy can be enacted in relationships and what could happen if couples lack maintenance.

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6. While social media like Facebook can help create and maintain relationships, they can also lead to jealousy. Consider your experiences of jealousy due to online communication. What triggered the jealousy? How did you combat it? Is Facebook the cause of jealousy, or is it more about individual personality?

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7. With a partner, research an organization developed to prevent violence (such as loveisrespect.org) or emotional abuse in romantic relationships. Make a five-minute presentation to your class explaining what the organization does and their suggestions for preventing physical and emotional abuse.

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