c Interpersonal communication is the process of using messages to generate meaning between at least two people in a situation that allows mutual opportunities for both speaking and listening.

c Interpersonal relationships provide one context in which people communicate with each other. Interpersonal relationships are associations between at least two or more people who are interdependent, who use some consistent patterns of interaction, and who have interacted for a period of time. Interpersonal relationships are established for a variety of reasons.

c Most interpersonal relationships are positive, but interpersonal relationships also include confl ict and may have a dark side.

c Self-disclosure is the process of making intentional revelations about oneself that others would be unlikely to know and that generally constitutes private, sensitive, or confi dential information.

c Friendships, one type of interpersonal relationship, are taking new forms in the twenty-fi rst century.

c Most relationships go through defi nable stages of development, maintenance, and deterioration. Why do people initiate relationships?