Breaking Up Is Hard To Do- Blog 11

Break ups are usually messy. Your book doesn't talk about all of the tug-of-wars that happen after dissolution. (Getting back together over and over, trying to be "friends", jealousy when you see them with someone new, etc.) During this time, it's difficult to know when the relationship is completely over and it's time to move on. Share with us your thoughts and experiences on this whole "after the dissolution" phase. How do you know when it's REALLY over? When do you stop trying to rekindle the fire? When do you know that you're ready to move on?

How Much Communication Is Too Much? Blog 9

Researchers looking at the impact of Facebook on relationships among college students found that the use of Facebook increased jealousy between friends and those in a relationship.  They identified four themes that contributed to increased jealousy.  They are as follows:

- Accessibility of information: Increased info about the interactions of significant others lead to increased monitoring and jealousy for 19.1% of participants

- Relationship jealousy: 16.2% of respondents were explicitly linked to Facebook use contributing to jealousy

- Facebook as an addiction: 10.3% of participants had major difficulty limiting the amount of time he or she looked at his or her partner’s Facebook profile.

- Lack of context: 7.4% of respondents referenced how Facebook can be ambiguous and that, without context, jealousy can be spurred over misunderstandings.

How do you think the use of technology has impacted interpersonal communication in the past 5-10 years?  Whether it be phones, texting, email, instant messaging, skype, social media, etc., has technology helped or hindered our interpersonal communication with others?  Please support your view with an example.