Includes bibliographical references (pages 348-384) and index.

Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 Preliminaries to Interpersonal Communication -- 1. Foundations of Interpersonal Communication -- Why Study Interpersonal Communication -- Personal Success -- Professional Success -- Nature of Interpersonal Communication -- Interpersonal Communication Involves Interdependent Individuals -- Interpersonal Communication Is Inherently Relational -- Interpersonal Communication Exists on a Continuum -- Interpersonal Communication Involves Verbal and Nonverbal Messages -- Interpersonal Communication Takes Place in Varied Forms -- Interpersonal Communication Involves Choices -- Elements of Interpersonal Communication -- Source-Receiver -- Messages -- Channel -- Noise -- Context -- Ethics -- Principles of Interpersonal Communication -- Interpersonal Communication Is a Transactional Process -- Interpersonal Communication Serves a Variety of Purposes -- Interpersonal Communication Is Ambiguous -- Interpersonal Relationships May Be Symmetrical or Complementary -- Interpersonal Communication Refers to Content and Relationship -- Interpersonal Communication Is a Series of Punctuated Events -- Interpersonal Communication Is Inevitable, Irreversible, and Unrepeatable -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 2. Culture and Interpersonal Communication -- Culture -- Cultural Evolution and Cultural Relativism -- Sex and Gender -- Transmission of Culture -- Importance of Culture -- Aim of a Cultural Perspective -- Cultural Differences -- Individual and Collective Orientation -- High- and Low-Context Cultures -- Power Distance -- Masculine and Feminine Cultures -- High-Ambiguity-Tolerant and Low-Ambiguity-Tolerant Cultures -- Long- and Short-Term Orientation -- Indulgence and Restraint -- Principles for Effective Intercultural Communication -- Educate Yourself -- Recognize Differences -- Confront Your Stereotypes -- Reduce Your Ethnocentrism -- Adjust Your Communication -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 3. Perception of the Self and Others in Interpersonal Communication -- Self in Interpersonal Communication -- Self-Concept -- Self-Awareness -- Self-Esteem -- Perception in Interpersonal Communication -- Stage One: Stimulation -- Stage Two: Organization -- Stage Three: Interpretation-Evaluation -- Stage Four: Memory -- Stage Five: Recall -- Impression Formation -- Impression Formation Processes -- Increasing Accuracy in Impression Formation -- Impression Management: Goals and Strategies -- To Be Liked: Affinity-Seeking and Politeness Strategies -- To Be Believed: Credibility Strategies -- To Excuse Failure: Self-Handicapping Strategies -- To Secure Help: Self-Deprecating Strategies -- To Hide Faults: Self-Monitoring Strategies -- To Be Followed: Influencing Strategies -- To Confirm Self-image: Image-Confirming Strategies -- Summary -- Key Terms -- pt. 2 Interpersonal Messages -- 4. Verbal Messages -- Principles of Verbal Messages -- Messages Are Packaged -- Message Meanings Are in People -- Meanings Are Denotative and Connotative -- Messages Vary in Abstraction -- Messages Vary in Politeness -- Messages Can Be Onymous or Anonymous -- Message Meanings Can Deceive -- Messages Vary in Assertiveness -- Messages Can Confirm and Disconfirm -- Messages Vary in Cultural Sensitivity -- Guidelines for Using Verbal Messages Effectively -- Extensionalize: Avoid Intensional Orientation -- See the Individual: Avoid Allness -- Distinguish between Facts and Inferences: Avoid Fact-Inference Confusion -- Discriminate Among: Avoid Indiscrimination -- Talk about the Middle: Avoid Polarization -- Update Messages: Avoid Static Evaluation -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 5. Nonverbal Messages -- Principles of Nonverbal Communication -- Nonverbal Messages Interact with Verbal Messages -- Nonverbal Messages Help Manage Impressions -- Nonverbal Messages Help Form Relationships -- Nonverbal Messages Structure Conversation -- Nonverbal Messages Can Influence and Deceive -- Nonverbal Messages Are Crucial for Expressing Emotions -- Channels of Nonverbal Communication -- Body Messages -- Facial Communication -- Eye Communication -- Touch Communication -- Paralanguage -- Silence -- Spatial Messages and Territoriality -- Artifactual Communication -- Olfactory Messages -- Temporal Communication -- Nonverbal Communication Competence -- Decoding Nonverbal Messages -- Encoding Nonverbal Messages -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 6. Listening in Interpersonal Communication -- Process of Listening -- Stage One Receiving -- Stage Two Understanding -- Stage Three Remembering -- Stage Four Evaluating -- Stage Five Responding -- Listening Barriers -- Distractions: Physical and Mental -- Biases and Prejudices -- Racist, Heterosexist, Ageist, and Sexist Listening -- Lack of Appropriate Focus -- Premature Judgment -- Styles of Effective Listening -- Empathic and Objective Listening -- Nonjudgmental and Critical Listening -- Surface and Depth Listening -- Polite and Impolite Listening -- Active and Inactive Listening -- Culture, Gender, and Listening -- Culture and Listening -- Gender and Listening -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 7. Emotional Messages -- Principles of Emotions and Emotional Messages -- Emotions Occur in Stages -- Emotions May Be Primary or Blended -- Emotions Involve Both Body and Mind -- Emotions Are Influenced by a Variety of Factors -- Emotional Expression Uses Multiple Channels -- Emotional Expression Is Governed by Display Rules -- Emotions May Be Adaptive and Maladaptive -- Emotions Can Be Used Strategically -- Emotions Have Consequences -- Emotions Are Contagious -- Obstacles to Communicating Emotions -- Societal and Cultural Customs -- Fear -- Inadequate Interpersonal Skills -- Emotional Competence -- Emotional Understanding -- Emotional Expression -- Handling Anger: A Special Case Illustration -- Emotional Responding -- Communicating with the Grief-Stricken -- Special Case Illustration -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 8. Conversational Messages -- Principles of Conversation -- Principle of Process -- Principle of Cooperation -- Principle of Politeness -- Principle of Dialogue -- Principle of Turn Taking -- Conversational Disclosure -- Revealing Yourself -- Influences on Self-Disclosure -- Rewards and Dangers of Self-Disclosure -- Guidelines for Self-Disclosure -- Everyday Conversations -- Making Small Talk -- Introducing People -- Making Excuses -- Apologizing -- Complimenting -- Advising -- Summary -- Key Terms -- pt. 3 Interpersonal Relationships -- 9. Interpersonal Relationship Stages, Theories, and Communication -- Relationship Stages -- Contact -- Involvement -- Intimacy -- Deterioration -- Repair -- Dissolution -- Movement among the Stages -- Relationship Theories -- Attraction Theory -- Relationship Rules Theory -- Relationship Dialectics Theory -- Social Penetration Theory -- Social Exchange Theory -- Equity Theory -- Politeness Theory -- Relationship Communication -- Communicating in Developing Relationships -- Communicating in Deteriorating Relationships -- Communicating in Relationship Repair -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 10. Interpersonal Relationship Types -- Friendship Relationships -- Definition and Characteristics -- Friendship Types -- Friendship Needs -- Friendship and Communication -- Friendship, Culture, and Gender -- Friends with Benefits -- Love Relationships -- Love Types -- Love and Communication -- Love, Culture, and Gender -- Family Relationships -- Characteristics of Families -- Couple Types -- Family Types -- Family and Communication -- Families, Culture, and Gender -- Workplace Relationships -- Workplace Communication -- Networking Relationships -- Mentoring Relationships -- Romantic Relationships at Work -- Dark Side of Interpersonal Relationships -- Jealousy -- Violence -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 11. Interpersonal Conflict and Conflict Management -- Preliminaries to Interpersonal Conflict -- Definition of Interpersonal Conflict -- Myths about Interpersonal Conflict -- Interpersonal Conflict Issues -- Principles of Interpersonal Conflict -- Conflict Is Inevitable -- Conflict Can Occur in All Communication Forms -- Conflict Can Have Negative and Positive Effects -- Conflict Can Focus on Content and/or Relationship Issues -- Conflict Is Influenced by Culture and Gender -- Conflict Management Is a Multistep Process -- Conflict Management Strategies -- Win-Lose and Win-Win Strategies -- Avoidance and Active Fighting Strategies -- Force and Talk Strategies -- Face-Attacking and Face-Enhancing Strategies: Politeness in Conflict -- Verbal Aggressiveness and Argumentativeness Strategies -- Summary -- Key Terms -- 12. Interpersonal Power and Influence -- Principles of Power and Influence -- Some People Are More Powerful Than Others -- Power Can Be Shared -- Power Can Be Increased or Decreased -- Power Follows the Principle of Less Interest -- Power Generates Privilege -- Power Has a Cultural Dimension -- Relationship, Person, and Message Power -- Power in the Relationship -- Power in the Person -- Power in the Message -- Resisting Power and Influence -- Misuses of Power and Influence -- Sexual Harassment -- Bullying -- Power Plays -- Summary -- Key Terms.