Interpersonal Communication in Friend and Mate Relationships

By Anne Maydan Nicotera

Subjects: Communication
Series: SUNY series, Human Communication Processes
Paperback : 9780791413524, 256 pages, March 1993
Hardcover : 9780791413517, 256 pages, April 1993

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Table of contents

Preface

Part I: Background and Overview of the General Theory

1. The Importance of Communication in Interpersonal Relationships
Anne Maydan Nicotera

2. Friend and Mate Relationship Literature, Empirical Propositions, and Methodology
Charles J. Korn and Anne Maydan Nicotera

3. The Original Investigations
Edited by Anne Maydan Nicotera

Part II: Investigations of Friendship

4. Friendship Formation and Development in Two Cultures: Universal Constructs in the United States and Korea
Charles J. Korn

5. Interpersonal Perceptions of Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Friendships in the United States and Korea
Changmo Bahk

6. The Friendship Formation Process in Nigeria: A Preliminary Study of Cultural Impact, Communication Pattern, and Relationship Variables
Andrew A. Moemeka and Anne Maydan Nicotera

7. Summary of Studies on the Theory of Friendship and Consideration of Implications
Anne Maydan Nicotera

Part III: Investigations of the Mate Relationship

8. Mate Relationship Entry, Intensity, and Communication Variable: A Preliminary Study
Donald P. Cushman and Dudley D. Cahn

9. Development of the Mate Relationship in Two Cultures: Theoretical Universals in the United States and Korea
Anne Maydan Nicotera

10. The Mate Selection Process in Nigeria: A Preliminary Study of Cultural Impact, Communication Pattern, and Relationship Variables
Andrew A. Moemeka and Anne Maydan Nicotera

11. Summary of Studies on the Theory of the Mate Relationship and Consideration of Implications
Anne Maydan Nicotera

Part IV: Integration and Critical Appreciation

12. Mate Selection as Culture Choice: Reflections on Findings in China, Japan, and Korea
Yanan Ju

13. Where Have We Been, Where Are We, and Where Do We Go?
Anne Maydan Nicotera

About the Contributors

Author Index

Subject Index

Description

A concentration on communication processes is essential to sorting out fundamental problems in interpersonal relationships. This book provides a general theory of the role of communication in interpersonal relationships that is grounded in the rules perspective and focuses on self-concept and interaction as the generative mechanisms of relationship formation and growth. The authors explore the kind of information that is exchanged in the process of initiating, developing, and maintaining friend and mate relationships. Both types of relationships are explored in numerous cultural settings—including America and American subcultures as well as Korea, Nigeria, Japan, and China. The inclusion of Nigerian culture is particularly significant because the research literature in interpersonal communication is lacking any information from the continent of Africa. Implications are then considered for communication exchange across three categories of interpersonal communication—culture, conflict, and quality.

Anne Maydan Nicotera is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Oklahoma.

Reviews

"The topic of this book is both timely and significant. While the subject of interpersonal relationships (friendship and dating/mating) has been around for quite a while, the nature of this research is such that it provides both an assessment of past research and suggests future directions. These suggested directions have great heuristic value for the discipline of communication. The book provides both a useful synopsis of an important body of research as well as a model and methodology for carrying the research even further. " — Richard J. Dieker, Western Michigan University