Personal Relationship Studies

The study of personal relationships and communication focuses on a number of different relational contexts, including family relationships, friendship, and romantic relationships. It is an interdisciplinary area of study, drawing on work in communication, psychology, sociology, and family studies. Research on communication and personal relationships includes both post-positivist and interpretive approaches to describing or explaining relational experiences. As a context for research, close personal relationships have certain characteristics that should be considered in both research design and data analysis choices. This entry considers the ways in which paradigms shape the questions asked and the choices made in personal relationship research. It also outlines important qualities of personal relationships and their implications for choices in research design and data analysis and ends with a ...