Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

that cheated on you and left you with trust issues. You might find another romantic interest, but in the
back of your mind, you might be cautious and interpret loving behaviors differently, because you don’t
want to be hurt again.
Second, the degree of involvement impacts your interpretation. The more involved or deeper your
relationship is with another person, the more likely you will interpret their behaviors differently
compared to someone you do not know well. For instance, let’s pretend that you are a manager, and
two of your employees come to work late. One worker just happens to be your best friend and the other
person is someone who just started and you do not know them well. You are more likely to interpret
your best friend’s behavior more altruistically than the other worker because you have known your best
friend for a longer period. Besides, since this person is your best friend, this implies that you interact and
are more involved with them compared to other friends.
Third, the expectations that we hold can impact the way we make sense of other people’s behaviors. For
instance, if you overheard some friends talking about a mean professor and how hostile they are in class,
you might be expecting this to be true. Let’s say you meet the professor and attend their class; you might
still have certain expectations about them based on what you heard. Even those expectations might be
completely false, and you might still be expecting those allegations to be true.
Assumptions
Fourth, there are assumptions about human behavior. Imagine if you are a personal fitness trainer, do
you believe that people like to exercise or need to exercise? Your answer to that question might be based
on your assumptions. If you are a person who is inclined to exercise, then you might think that all people
like to work out. However, if you do not like to exercise but know that people should be physically fit,
then you would more likely agree with the statement that people need to exercise. Your assumptions
about humans can shape the way that you interpret their behavior. Another example might be that if
you believe that most people would donate to a worthy cause, you might be shocked to learn that not
everyone thinks this way. When we assume that all humans should act a certain way, we are more likely
to interpret their behavior differently if they do not respond in a certain way.
Fifth, relational satisfaction will make you see things very differently. Relational satisfaction is how
satisfied or happy you are with your current relationship. If you are content, then you are more likely
to view all your partner’s behaviors as thoughtful and kind. However, if you are not satisfied in your
relationship, then you are more likely to view their behavior has distrustful or insincere. Research has
shown that unhappy couples are more likely to blame their partners when things go wrong compared to
happy couples. 19
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