Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships / Edition 4

by Laura K. Guerrero, Peter A. Andersen, Walid Afifi

Overview

Taking a relational approach to the study of interpersonal communication, Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships, Fourth Edition, by Laura K. Guerrero, Peter A. Andersen, and Walid A. Afifi, helps students better understand their relationships with romantic partners, friends, and family members. The authors offer research-based insights and content illustrated with engaging scenarios to show how state-of-the-art research and theory can be applied to specific issues within relationships—with a focus on issues that are central to describing and understanding close relationships. While maintaining the spotlight on communication, the authors also emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the study of personal relationships by including research from such disciplines as social psychology and family studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452217109
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	03/05/2013
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	509
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Laura K. Guerrero has been at Arizona State since 1996 where she teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses on relational communication, nonverbal communication, statistics, and research methods. Her research focuses on communication in close relationships, emphasizing nonverbal messages, emotion, and the "dark” and “bright” sides of interpersonal communication. She is the co-author/co-editor of Nonverbal Communication in Close Relationships (Erlbaum), The Nonverbal Communication Reader, Third Edition (Waveland Press), Nonverbal Communication (Pearson), and the Handbook of Communication and Emotion (Academic Press).

Peter Andersen (Ph D, Florida State University) is a professor at San Diego State University. The author of five books and more than 150 book chapters, research papers, and journal articles, he has received recognition as one of the 100 most published scholars in the field of communication.

Walid A. Afifi (Ph D, University of Arizona) is professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he teaches interpersonal communication, relational communication, nonverbal communication, and social marketing. His research revolves around people’s experience of uncertainty and their decisions to seek or avoid information in relational contexts.

Table of Contents

1. Conceptualizing Relational Communication
2. Communicating Identity
3. Drawing People Together
4. Making Sense of Our World
5. Changing Relationships: Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics
6. Revealing and Hiding Ourselves
7. Communicating Closeness
8. Making a Love Connection
9. Communicating Sexuality: The Closest Physical Encounter
10. Staying Close
11. Coping With Conflict
12. Influencing Each Other
13. Hurting the Ones We Love
14. Healing the Hurt
15. Ending Relationships

Editorial Reviews

“I like the text….good array of major topics in the discipline.”

Lisa (Farinelli) Allen

“The book is a nice read, easy to digest but true to the literature.”

Graham Bodie

“This book provides a good coverage of the major topics in the field and effectively synthesizes major research findings in each area. I appreciate the theoretical nature of the book. Students who enter the course thinking they know everything about Interpersonal Communication quickly figure out that the course will be both challenging and interesting when they begin to read the book.”

Melanie Laliker

“I have been collecting feedback from students in my Interpersonal Communication classes, and specifically have asked about their impressions of the text, Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships. They love it. I have never had such overwhelming, positive reactions to any textbook. Here's a sample response: ‘I feel like I have been put in this class to really learn and apply something to my life because it seems like the authors are talking directly to me and relating things to my life right at this very moment. I love this class and this book. I actually do all the readings and enjoy them. I may just have to keep this book.’ "

Reviewer - Kara Laskowski

“This is the one text that I have selected for which I have not received student complaints. I think the students find it interesting and easy to read.”

Todd Lee Goen

“One of my main goals is to get my students to move beyond the over-simplified textbooks and actually dig into the research. This book provides a nice transition.”

Rick Murphy

This text engages relationship research and theorizing to illuminate the complex experiences embedded in close relationships.”

Colleen Warner Colaner

Close Encounters is a great text for undergraduate students. The authors manage to balance breadth and depth; the book presents a variety of interpersonal topics and each topic is explored thoroughly, with relevant, up-to-date research.”

Christine K. Anzur

Close Encounters is a text that makes heavy theories easy to grasp yet pushes our students to greater lengths of critical examination of their interpersonal relationships.”

Anasheh Gharabighi

This book is an excellent resource for any learner interested in knowing more about the research, theories, and ideas studied by interpersonal communication scholars. Not only can students develop a solid foundation about the field from this text, but they can frequently refer back as they deepen their understanding.”

Carrie D. Kennedy-Lightsey

Close Encounters is a solid, well-written, and well-organized textbook for interpersonal communication.”

Zuoming Wang

A must read for teachers and students alike to have a better understanding of our interpersonal relationships in the new age!”

Cheryl Pawlowski

I’ve always appreciated how the text facilitates an identification and examination of the basic elements of the human communication process. The texts connection to understanding the self, first and then how we set “roles” and “goals” that include language and verbal communication, nonverbal communication, relational messages, self-identity, perception, listening, social roles, and communication climate is great. Also, several of the activities within the text challenge students to observe and reflect on these elements as they apply to their own lives in various social contexts. The contexts students will examine because of departmental agendas include intercultural settings, family interaction, public relationships, friendships, intimate relationships, and gender communication toward social justice. Therefore, the text is ideal in aiding in recognition how the basic elements of communication and specific contexts are framed and shaped by broader cultural, historical, and social forces. Most importantly, this text provides opportunities to engage in transformative education by a thoughtful facilitation of interpersonal contexts”

Nicholas A. Zoffel

The pedagogical activities and supplements create opportunities for students to apply classroom concepts to real-life situations.”

Rukhsana Ahmed

The book is user friendly and it’s very applicable.”

Leslie Ramos Salazar

Written by leading communication scholars, this text provides an excellent blend of classic and contemporary research on communication in relationships written in an accessible style that is sure to engage students. It’s a textbook instructors can trust and students can enjoy.”

Janie Harden Fritz

This book provides the most up to date, relatable information to current students. The book is easy to read and invites students to discover more about their own interpersonal relationships while learning more about theories that form the basis for our discipline.”

Annelise Ewing Goodman

This book does a superb job in providing the most comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge about Close Relationship Communication!”

Dr. Xiaowei Shi

A social scientific approach to interpersonal communication that is very thorough at going through much of the pertinent literature. For the social scientist, this will be an approach he/she can appreciate.”

Cory Williams

The authors have conceptualized an interesting, well-written book that inspires student learning. The interdisciplinary approach of this book allows for the most influential theories and concepts to be discussed in a systematic manner.”

Kandi Walker

I like the way the authors apply scholarship in an easily digestible manner.”

Valerie Young

"The pedagogical activities and supplements create opportunities for students to apply classroom concepts to real-life situations."

--Rukhsana Ahmed

"Written by leading communication scholars, this text provides an excellent blend of classic and contemporary research on communication in relationships written in an accessible style that is sure to engage students. It's a textbook instructors can trust and students can enjoy."

--Janie Harden Fritz

"The authors have conceptualized an interesting, well-written book that inspires student learning. The interdisciplinary approach of this book allows for the most influential theories and concepts to be discussed in a systematic manner."

--Kandi Walker

"A must read for teachers and students alike to have a better understanding of our interpersonal relationships in the new age!"

--Cheryl Pawlowski

"This book does a superb job in providing the most comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge about Close Relationship Communication!"

--Dr. Xiaowei Shi

"This book provides the most up to date, relatable information to current students. The book is easy to read and invites students to discover more about their own interpersonal relationships while learning more about theories that form the basis for our discipline."

--Annelise Ewing Goodman

"A social scientific approach to interpersonal communication that is very thorough at going through much of the pertinent literature. For the social scientist, this will be an approach he/she can appreciate."

--Cory Williams

"The book is user friendly and it's very applicable."

--Leslie Ramos Salazar

"I like the way the authors apply scholarship in an easily digestible manner."

--Valerie Young

"I've always appreciated how the text facilitates an identification and examination of the basic elements of the human communication process. The texts connection to understanding the self, first and then how we set "roles" and "goals" that include language and verbal communication, nonverbal communication, relational messages, self-identity, perception, listening, social roles, and communication climate is great. Also, several of the activities within the text challenge students to observe and reflect on these elements as they apply to their own lives in various social contexts. The contexts students will examine because of departmental agendas include intercultural settings, family interaction, public relationships, friendships, intimate relationships, and gender communication toward social justice. Therefore, the text is ideal in aiding in recognition how the basic elements of communication and specific contexts are framed and shaped by broader cultural, historical, and social forces. Most importantly, this text provides opportunities to engage in transformative education by a thoughtful facilitation of interpersonal contexts"

--Nicholas A. Zoffel

-The pedagogical activities and supplements create opportunities for students to apply classroom concepts to real-life situations.-

--Rukhsana Ahmed

-Written by leading communication scholars, this text provides an excellent blend of classic and contemporary research on communication in relationships written in an accessible style that is sure to engage students. It's a textbook instructors can trust and students can enjoy.-

--Janie Harden Fritz

-The authors have conceptualized an interesting, well-written book that inspires student learning. The interdisciplinary approach of this book allows for the most influential theories and concepts to be discussed in a systematic manner.-

--Kandi Walker

-A must read for teachers and students alike to have a better understanding of our interpersonal relationships in the new age!-

--Cheryl Pawlowski

-This book does a superb job in providing the most comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge about Close Relationship Communication!-

--Dr. Xiaowei Shi

-This book provides the most up to date, relatable information to current students. The book is easy to read and invites students to discover more about their own interpersonal relationships while learning more about theories that form the basis for our discipline.-

--Annelise Ewing Goodman

-A social scientific approach to interpersonal communication that is very thorough at going through much of the pertinent literature. For the social scientist, this will be an approach he/she can appreciate.-

--Cory Williams

-The book is user friendly and it's very applicable.-

--Leslie Ramos Salazar

-I like the way the authors apply scholarship in an easily digestible manner.-

--Valerie Young

-I've always appreciated how the text facilitates an identification and examination of the basic elements of the human communication process. The texts connection to understanding the self, first and then how we set -roles- and -goals- that include language and verbal communication, nonverbal communication, relational messages, self-identity, perception, listening, social roles, and communication climate is great. Also, several of the activities within the text challenge students to observe and reflect on these elements as they apply to their own lives in various social contexts. The contexts students will examine because of departmental agendas include intercultural settings, family interaction, public relationships, friendships, intimate relationships, and gender communication toward social justice. Therefore, the text is ideal in aiding in recognition how the basic elements of communication and specific contexts are framed and shaped by broader cultural, historical, and social forces. Most importantly, this text provides opportunities to engage in transformative education by a thoughtful facilitation of interpersonal contexts-

--Nicholas A. Zoffel

From the Publisher