Social exchange theory

I found this concept the most interesting. It helps explain why some people stay in relationships that appear to be one sided. Some people go along with the relationship because in their minds they weigh out the costs of leaving that person. If the costs outweigh the rewards the person may leave the relationship. This also helps explain why some people stay in abusive relationships. They weight the costs and rewards. Some might stay for financial reasons or other reasons, but as long as the person thinks there are more rewards than costs in the relationship they will stay with that person.

I think there are many relationships that exist because of people using the social exchange theory. They think that they will lose out on something if they leave the relationship so they stay. Others see that the rewards are not worth the risk so they leave the relationship.

Marriages

I think in the next fifty years people are going.to.care less about traditions. People will no longer marry the way their parents did. People are still clinging on to certain traditions, but as time goes on these traditions will blend with other traditions or become dntirely new traditions on their own. It's still difficult for some people to be accepting of mixed race marriages or marriages that are outside a person's traditions.

I also think that it will be more common for people to divorce and marry ahain. The book explains that it's common for some people to marry more than once. I think this is a trend that will continue and become even more common. People will also think twice about marriage and will consoder living together instead. The book explains that some people already do this for one reason or another. I think the increase number of divorces will make people think twice about marriage and people living together without being married will become even more common.

Family

I think a family is anyone who lives together and share the responsibilities of the household. They don't have to be intermediate.family members. The household may consist of two or more people who make sure the things around the home that needs to get done are done. The two people also don't have to be married to call themselves a family. My definition of famoly goes beyond blod ties. A family takes care of one another and are always there when the other person needs help.
I agree with all the different types of families mentioned in the chapter. I am also not against same sex families because everyone should be allowed to be who they are without the fear of being persecuted. I liked the idea presented by Stephanie Coontz. She explains that people define family their own way. This assures that the person is part of a family that fits his or her particular needs.

Passion

I found the idea of passion to be interesting. I was under the impression that passion could sustain a relationship in the long run. The book mentions that there is little evidence to suport this claim. It explains that passion often sets relationships apart in order,to have a lastin relationship something,else is needed. Research shows that passion is less central to the way we think about love than are things like intimacy. This means that a passionate relationship will eventually die out unless something occurs that helps take the relationship passed the passionate stage.


According to the book, passionate relationships are usually short term relationships that end sooner or later. Relationships meant for the long haul include things like intimacy and not just passion. This makes sense since the short term relationships I have had were full of passion, but empty of intimacy. The lasting relationships I have had have been the most intimate relationships I have had.

online relationships

Technology is making its way into every aspect in our lives. It has even managed to make its way into our relationships. There are many people that now meet their significant other online. Some of those relationships have turned into marriages. You do have weirdos, but I think dating oonline basically functions the same way. Some guys feel like they have to impress girls. Whether they do it by email or over the phone, it is still a lie created to impress a girl in order to start a romantic relationship with her.

I think it is easier for some people to lie, but I'm sure they do it to people they probably never plan to meet. I think online does make it easier to meet people in different areas, but the same dating rules would apply. However, there are those weirdos that are going to ruin it for other pele, but I think that if they are serious about dating they will present themselves as they would if they were offline.

Ethnocentrism

This is the concept that interested me the most from the chapter eight reading. The book defines it as, "the assumption that our culture and its norms are the only right ones. I saw a video on a public access channel that showed people in Hong Kong eating animals like cats, dogs, and foxes. The program showed how the animals are cooked in large black urns. The program made it sound like this was animal cruelty, but that's the diet in that culture. Some people from India worship cows. Imagine what they think of our tastes in food.

People who practice ethnocentrism use language that is absolute. They do this to illustrate how certain they are their culture is the right one. They never consider another person's point of view. This gets in the way of effective communication. When a person doesn't hear another person's point of view, communication never takes place.

Disconfirmation

When we are disconfirmed they sometimes are telling us that we don't matter. They think that their opinions are more important. They fail to recognize or acknowlede us. This occured to me during a Shakespeare class that I had. I had taken one before and received a B so I wanted to study his work more. It turned out to be a mistake.

This professor had it in her mind that I couldn't understand Shakespeare. She built a defensi climate. The book explains that, "with some people we feel disconfirmed or on guard. I trried to argue with her over a paper. She is certain the Romeo and Juliet movie version with Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't play along with the actual play. She said I must of never tried it, but I actually sat with the play and followed along. They only leave out one minor scene, but I was also surprised by that. I just couldn't get her to admit that she was wrong. She was using certainty by using words that are absolute. The book says, "this kind of language suggests that there is one and only one answer." She built a learning environment that wasn't inviting. This made it difficult for her to communicate properly and this made it impossible for me to learn.