Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

Model of Self
(Worthy of Love and Support vs. Not Worthy)
Model of Other
(Trustworth/Available vs. Unreliable/Rejecting)
Positive
(Low)
Negative
(High)
Positive
(Low)
Secure
Comfortable with
intimacy and
autonomoy
Dismissing
Dismissing of Intimacy;
Counter-Dependent
Negative
(High)
Preoccupied
Preoccupied
with
relationships
Fearful
Fearful of Intimacy;
Socially Avoidant
Figure 3.10 Attachment Styles
perceived as highly responsive, the responsive individual was more likely to encourage the other person
to self-disclose and took on the role of the listener. As a whole, highly assertive individuals were more
likely to stress the optimism of the relationship, while highly responsive individuals were more likely to
take on the role of a listener during the relational repair. Later in this book, we will revisit several different
interpersonal communication contexts where sociocommunicative orientation has been researched.
Relational Dispositions
The final three dimensions proposed by John Daly were relational dispositions. 94
are general patterns of mental processes that impact how people view and organize themselves in
relationships. For our purposes, we’ll examine two unique relational dispositions: attachment and rejec-
Interpersonal Communication 106