Interpersonal Relationship

Interpersonal Relationship
Student’s Name
Institution
Interpersonal Relationship
Human beings are accustomed to relying on others for basic components of social life such as love, intimacy, affection, and respect right from birth, making the need to establish strong relationships a necessity. A bonding between two or more individuals through familial ties, intimate relationships, close working relationships, or mere friendships is what is termed as interpersonal relationships (Berscheid & Regan, 2016). There are numerous parameters and modalities used in determining the nature of interpersonal relationships (Kleptsova & Balabanov, 2016), ascertaining the complexities that surround the idea of developing and maintain strong interpersonal relationships. Different scholars and philosophers have shared their thoughts and approaches on how to handle the delicate nature of interpersonal relationships. People have managed to create, sustain and terminate interpersonal relationships in a way they deem best-fit depending on the theories and approaches they subscribe to.
People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts by Bolton (2009) is a great piece that dwells on communication skills and conflict resolutions as the necessary techniques in upholding interpersonal relationships. Bolton (2009) makes an in-depth expose of the underlying communication skills and conflict resolution techniques using popular theories and case studies to bring the point home, making the book a must-read for whoever is battling with the battle of sustaining strong interpersonal relationships. Besides, the idea of backing his findings with widely known theories and practical examples ensures that the concepts of interpersonal communication conveyed in the book never get old or overtaken by events. It is, therefore is a perfect self-help book on matters relating to interpersonal relationships.
Communication is key in upholding strong interpersonal relationships. The author asserts in the book that the inability to make good use of communication skills widens the gap between social beings, derailing interpersonal relations (Bolton, 2009). To bridge the gap and master the art of communication, one has to first identify the different elements that cause communication breakdown, and the author thoroughly outlined them, terming as barriers to communication: judging others, ineffective response, and the inability to tolerate other people’s concerns (Bolton, 2009). He goes on to introduce the most important aspect of communication that is often overlooked: listening. The author claims that that the ability to listen is the cornerstone of building strong friendships, work relations, or family ties (Bolton, 2009). One of the key components of effective listening skills is practicing reflective listening while paying attention to additional information...