Assignment
Interpersonal Relationship
1. Would you describe your relationship with your Partner as one of choice or circumstance? Has it changed? What initially attracted you to your Partner (short-term attraction)? (Think about interpersonal attraction, social attraction, and task attraction, which holds true for friendships as well as romantic relationships.) Are any of those short-term factors still true? Have different factors emerged as your relationship developed into long-term attraction)?
2. Brainstorm some of the turning points that you have experienced in both the escalation and de-escalation (coming together and coming apart) stages of your relationship with your Partner. How significant an impact are turning points in the development of your relationship?
3. In your relationship with your Partner, is it acceptable to be deceptive? Does your answer differ based upon circumstances? What form does your deception come in (e.g., white lie, exaggeration, omission)?
4. With the movie Nell (1994) as your reference, describe the relationship between central characters Paula and Jerry. Identify the following five stages in their relationship development: Initiating, Experimentation, Intensifying, Integration, and Bonding.