A very important aspect to interpersonal communications is distance. The text describes distance as the "interpersonal space that nourishes the very thing that keeps persons together interpersonally - relationship." (125). Having too much distance, or perhaps too little distance, can cause a relationship to begin to fall apart. Having a space for a relationship to grow is vital for effective communication and for a healthy relationship.
I have two friends from high school that were dating for many years. Their relationship always seems interesting to me because there appeared to be a lot of distance between them. Not physical distance, but distance with regards to how they communicated to each other. Whenever we would all hang out, they would talk to each other, but it was very vague and when they would ask each other questions, both would give very short and distant responses. They are no longer dating and I would say that a big reason for that would be the distance that was between them. They didn't have a very close interpersonal space between them for the relationship to grow.
I agree this can be their reason for their falling out with one another. When you said they had a lot of distance between them but not physical distance that might be a contributor to their interpersonal distance. They probably got annoyed of being around each other all the time. Because they had little physical distance they couldn't appreciate their time together as much as a relationship with more distance. No space between a couple could also lead to the relationship not growing. Like the book said, "distance keeps us from equating interpersonal communication with ever more closeness." (125). Distance allows room for growth and can bring people closer together.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very interesting example of interpersonal communication, thank you for sharing it! I think that distance is a very interesting concept in regards to interpersonal communication. I think that finding the right balance of distance can be very challenging. In the case of your friends, it seems like they weren't able to find their balance when the relationship was put to the test. It is possible that the couple had too much distance because it was apparent in the way that they communicated. It is interesting that a couple that has dated for many years would be so distant. I think that they created distance in their communication because they did not have a lot of physical distance. If they hung out often then I think they used interpersonal distance as a means to create a buffer for their lack of physical distance. I definitely agree when you say that distance is one of the reasons why they broke up.
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