Relationship Rules Theory

Relationship Rule Theory All interpersonal relationships are governed by rules. These rules are what keep the relationship, whether it is friendship or love, held together. I decided to choose this theory to write about because we all have experience with these relationships rules and it is insightful to learn about them. These rules will help improve relationships whether it be with friends, family, co-workers, or significant others. Understanding the rules and how they relate to my own relationships can help me have a better understanding of how relationships work or why they may not work. In our communications book I read about the rules that govern friendship. They seem to be common sense such as be there for each other, support one another, help each other, keep personal information private, and be trustworthy. These are all rules that keep a friendship together. The friendship can start to fall apart if some of the rules are not followed. I know this first hand because I have lost friends because these rules were not followed. I have told people who were my friend’s personal information. Later when the so called “friends” revealed the secret and privileged information it caused a huge mess and lead to trust issues which then lead to the deteriorating of our friendship. No one likes a friend that they cannot count on or trust. I looked up relationship rules theory in the library database and I came across an article called The Power of the Unpredictable. The article talked about romantic rules that govern a relationship between couples. It discussed rules that were broken and the troubles that couples encounter when this happens. Jeff and Sharon were a couple talked about in the article. Jeff constantly tried to give Sharon advice after they had their first born child. Over time Sharon got tired of Jeffs critical advice and asked him to just stop. He stopped for a while but then over time he started to criticize her on things again. She retaliated by

Cited: DeVito, Joseph A. Human Communication: The Basic Course, Twelfth Edition. Boston.Pearson Education, Inc., 2012, 2009, 2006. Print. Duncan, Barry L., and Joseph W. Rock. "The Power Of The Unpredictable." Psychology Today 26.1 (1993): 46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.