Week of December 3-9 - Question 2

My favorite thing about the class was the awesome communication Carol had between her students. I didn’t think I’d be able to effectively communicate with an online professor, but I actually had better communication with her than I’ve had with any of my other professors. I liked the word count for the blog posts and comments because it wasn’t ridiculously long and it allowed me to challenge myself by paraphrasing what I had learned. My least favorite thing about the class was that the blog posts had to be posted 12 hours apart from one another. It was really difficult to remember, especially since I would read over all the questions when writing my first post and lose my train of thought after 12 hours. I think others can relate to this because I noticed that when I was looking through blogs to comment on, a lot of people only had one post by the end of the week. Other than that, it was a great class and I learned a lot! :)

Week of December 3-9 - Question 1

Over the course of the semester, I learned everything from understanding emotions, nonverbal communication, to mindful listening. I have discovered that I’m really interested in interpersonal communication as opposed to other concentrations. One of my favorite chapters that I read was chapter eleven, which was about committed romantic relationships. After experiencing several relationships and observing those of my friends, I’ve developed a great interest in romantic relationships and ways to improve them. The fact that there are different love styles and specific stages of romantic development really caught my interest because looking back, I could really pinpoint those love styles and stages associated with my exes. I also learned a lot about myself while reading this chapter. I discovered that I strive for a relationship based on eros, but I am mostly an agape lover. This means that I strive for the kind of romantic love that you see in movies, but often find myself loving others while expecting nothing in return

Week of November 12-18 - Question 3

A concept from this week that I found really interesting are the different relationship types. I wasn’t aware that relationships could be classified into different categories, but they totally make sense. The five different relationship types are vital, total, passive-congenial, devitalized, and conflict-habituated marriage. Vital marriage is a relationship that is very close and where the partners want to physically be with each other all the time. Total is similar, except that the partners aren’t always continuously together. Passive-congenial describes relationships in which the partners are polite and interact, but deal mostly with superficial matters. Next, devitalized is a relationship in which the partners are bored with the relationship. And lastly, conflict-habituated marriage is a relationship that the partners are simply incompatible. I’ve know people that have been involved in each of these types of relationships, and I think the most common type that I’ve observed would have to be a vital marriage

Week of November 12-18 - Question 2

I think that in fifty years, the whole meaning of marriage will evolve into something completely different. I think people are going to have a broader mindset of who can get married, what the best age is, and I think that interracial and same-sex marriages will be absolutely fine. I also think that less people will feel the need to sign documents and put a ring on it in order to be with someone for the rest of their lives. I personally don’t see marriage as something that I necessarily want to do. I like the idea and concept of it, but I don’t see the point of having a huge ceremony to celebrate the love two people have for each other. I see how that was a nice thing to do fifty years ago, but considering how the meaning of marriage has changed so drastically, I don’t think that people should have to feel entitled to do it. A lot of my friends think that if they get married, it means that they will be with the person for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, with drive-thru divorce kiosks in Nevada and divorce lawyers, the chances of a marriage lasting all of eternity are very slim these days. I just hope that in fifty years people will be more open to the idea of not having to participate in it, but are still able to entertain the idea of (and find) someone who they can spend the rest of their lives with

Week of November 12-18 - Question 1

To me, a family is not defined by a heterosexual man and woman with children. I believe that family is defined by an elevated level of trust that two or more people share. This trust seamlessly transitions into love. I consider family members as people who share this bond that look out for one another. I don’t think that people necessarily need to be bonded by blood in order to be considered family members. My best friend and I have known each other for fourteen years and I consider her my sister. She knows everything about me and although we’re both busy at times, I know if I ever need her she will be there for me. I think that if someone wants to define family differently from mine, I’m in no position to judge their opinion. For example, I find polygamy to be very strange and I don’t understand it, but I would never say that it doesn’t fit the definition of family. The only type of relationship that I have some issues with are arranged marriages. Unless the marriage is arranged and the two individuals make a connection and build trust, I don’t see how they can be defined as family. To me, a piece of paper and a ring has no influence on whether or not you have a stable relationship. It’s about the bond, I can’t say that enough. I wish more people understood that

Week of November 5-11 - Question 3

A subject that I found really interesting in this chapter was that of navigation. Navigation is a process of commitment to your partner that involves going through hardships, good times and bad, as well as dealing with unpleasant surprises. I’ve noticed that many couples don’t successfully navigate their relationships well nowadays. Divorce is very common and it’s rare to see a couple successfully navigate through life unless it’s in a movie. Many couples don’t know how to keep intimacy alive in a relationship after a good amount of time. This is where relational culture comes in, which is an underground world consisting of rules, patterns, understandings, and interpreting what partners need to do in their relationships. It involves ways that couples manage their relational dialectics that include rules and rituals as well as everyday interaction. Another part of navigating is placemaking, which is the process of creating a comfortable personal environment that reflects the values and tastes of the couple.

Week of November 5-11 - Question 2

I have definitely experienced a relationship in which commitment was not present. My last boyfriend and I were together for nearly three years and loved each other very much; in fact, we still do. However, I was his first girlfriend and the fact that he could see himself committing to me in the long run really freaked him out. So much in fact, that he slowly distanced himself so that the commitment between us literally just faded. I haven’t been in a relationship in which there was commitment but not love. But, I’ve definitely witnessed it. My ex’s parents were married for twenty years. They’re currently divorced because they just didn’t love each other anymore. The only reason that they stayed together was for the kids, but even that becomes unbearable after a while. I think that commitment and love go hand in hand. You cannot have a relationship work without each one being present. I mean, if you really tried you could. But it would definitely not be an enjoyable experience.