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Chapter 7 Key Terms
Intro to Communication Spring 2026
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Need to belong theory | Says that each of us is born with a drive to seek, form, maintain, and protect strong social relationships |
| Attraction theory | A theory that explains why individuals are drawn to others |
| Interpersonal attraction | The force that draws people together |
| Physical attraction | Attraction to someone’s appearance |
| Social attraction | Attraction to someone’s personality |
| Task attraction | Attraction to someone’s abilities or dependability |
| Proximity | Closeness, as in how closely together people live or work |
| Complexity | The beneficial provision by another person of a quality that one lacks |
| Uncertainty reduction theory | Theory suggesting that people find uncertainty to be unpleasant, so they are motivated to reduce their uncertainty by getting to know others |
| Social exchange theory | Theory suggesting that people seek to maintain relationships in which their benefits outweigh their costs |
| Comparison level | A realistic expectation of what one wants and thinks one deserves from a relationship |
| Comparison level for alternatives | An assessment of how much better or worse one’s current relationship is than one’s other options |
| Equity theory | Theory that a good relationship is one in which a person’s ratio of costs and benefits is equal to his or her partner’s |
| Over-benefited | A state in which one’s relational benefits outweigh one’s costs |
| Under-benefited | A state in which one’s relational costs outweigh one’s benefits |
| Relational maintenance behavior theory | Theory specifying the primary behaviors people use to maintain their relationships |
| Self-disclosure | Act of intentionally giving others information about oneself that one believes is true but thinks others don’t already have |
| Social penetration theory | Theory suggesting that the depth and breadth of self-disclosure help us learn about a person we’re getting to know |
| Breadth | The range of topics we self-disclose to various people |
| Depth | The degree of intimacy of our self-disclosures |
| Norm of reciprocity | The social expectation that favors should be reciprocated |
| Parasocial relationships | A one-sided friendship with someone who isn't aware of your existence |
| Platonic relationships | A relationship that is nonromantic and nonsexual |
| Friends-with-benefits (FWB) friendships | Friendships in which friends engage in sexual interaction with each other, even though they do not consider their relationship to be romantic |
| Peer | A person similar to us in status or power |
Created by:
KristenR2025