When looking at a relationship the most important aspect is how effective the communication is being utilized. There are many reasons why having exceptional communication in a relationship is important, like affective communication leads to strong relational bonds.  We create a bond with someone through ways of telling them our deepest secrets or allowing them to know the real you. We also can look at how the communication molds the relationship, how managing tension, the goals of impression management, or how boundary management is set.  All these concepts are achieved through communication and improve the relationship that is beginning. 

            If we look at the very first case study, “Moving Up”, we see why it is important to maintain certain relationships.  Jim is an on-the-rise lawyer, working for a very successful law firm and learning his ways in the firm.  Right now he is only an intern, but hopes to impress the boss, Marc, enough that he continues his career at this law firm.  Every intern must go through a meeting with the bosses so they can advice the intern how well he or she is doing, the intern’s potential at the law firm, and what the intern can improve to become the ideal lawyer.  Jim thought he had made a great impact on the business by always being early, making friends with coworkers, and making sure the clients were taken care of.  However, Marc had a different impression of how Jim was doing in the business.  He stated that Jim is creating wrong relationships with co-workers that will no make him successful in the future.  If Jim does not create the right relationships he could become an outcast at the law firm.  The way that Jim can fix this is build relationships with his fellow lawyers and not the secretaries.  Relationships can help us become more successful because people care for the people close to them and a favor is returned when given.  Jim also had to work on his impression management, like Matt and Jennifer in the case study “Embarrassment.”

            In this case study Matt and Jennifer are newly weds that are discovering what marriage truly entitles.  Jennifer is a very closed person and wants people to see her relationship only in the good times, while Matt is the exact opposite.  What you want someone to see you as is called impression management.  This creates a major conflict in Matt and Jennifer’s relationship because they are not agreeing on their relational boundary.  This is a boundary that is set by the couple to what is exposed to the outside world and what are their limits of what stays between the two.  Matt breaks this boundary by telling his family the problems Jennifer and him are having in front of Jennifer.  This completely breaks Jennifer’s trust in Matt because she believed that what happened between them stayed between them.  From this case study we learn how important it is to communicate the expectations of your partner to have a happy and successful relationship.  Another case study, "Serious Challenges in Interpersonal Relationships: Betrayal in the Case of Chris and Sandy," hold the same problem of the lack of expectations creates devastation.

            Chris and Sandy were high school sweethearts that tried to continue their secret love affair into college.  Sandy began to find interest with other guys and one guy in particular.  While Chris had his mind set on Sandy and did not want her to see other guys.  This caused the co-orientation, when two people in the relationship have a common focus, concern, or interest, between Chris and Sandy to change.  Chris found that Sandy was not coming around as often and when she did it was for a short amounts of time.  Even though Sandy and Chris had never established themselves in a relationship, Chris thought they were.  Chris had the expectation that they were only true to one another and paid no attention to anyone else.  While Sandy had the expectation that she could see other guys and possibly start a serious relationship with someone besides Chris.  Unfortunately, after Chris found out about Sandy going behind his back the relationship ended.  We can learn from this by realizing how important communication.  If Chris had told Sandy that he expected her to only see him, or if Sandy had communicated to Chris that she wanted to date other men than just him; the friendship between the two might have been saved.  Communication is just as important in a long distance relationship than it is in a non-distance relationship.

            Looking at the case study “Distance Makes the Heart Grow Anxious: Managing Long-Distance and Commuter Relationships,” we see the struggle between Lindsay and Ron’s long distance relationship.  Lindsay and Ron have been in a relationship for some time, but have now gone off to different colleges.  Despite the hundreds of miles between each other they decide to stay together and make it work.  They communicate through texting, calling each other, social media, and video calls.  The biggest problem of the relationship comes when Lindsay discovers a girl posting on Ron’s Facebook.  Instead of Lindsay talking to Ron about who this girl was, she assumes the worst that Ron is interested in her.  This causes a lot of awkwardness between Ron and Lindsay because Lindsay doubts her trust for him.  When Lindsay goes out to visit Ron she meets the girl and finds out that she also has a girlfriend and is interested in strictly women.  This shows us how important communicating to one another is to solve a problem, instead of keeping it quiet and allowing it to turn into something bigger. 

            I have learned so much from these case studies, especially the importance to communicate your feelings.  I am currently in a long distance relationship and we have grown immensely from what I have learned.  I am someone who tends to hold things in and it hurt our relationship because when I did talk I had a lot to say.  After analyzing these case studies, I have found the best way to prevent a conflict is to talk about the small things before they become big things.  I have also learned the importance of letting someone in so you can create a personal bond with him or her.  This class made my eyes open to the importance of communicating.