Week 8: Building & Maintaining Relationships
Balancing Dialectical Tensions
Discussion Prompt
Dialectical tensions (autonomy-connection, openness-closedness, novelty-predictability) are present in all close relationships. Which of these tensions do you find most challenging to manage, and why? Share an example of how this tension has played out in a relationship, what strategies you've tried, and what you've learned about navigating this ongoing dynamic.
Response Guidelines
- Choose one specific tension to focus on rather than discussing all three superficially
- Share a real example while protecting others' privacy
- Connect your experience to concepts from the reading
- When responding to classmates, share strategies that have worked for you with similar tensions
- Acknowledge that managing tensions is ongoing - there's no perfect solution
Minimum 200 words