Relational Communication Ideals and Standards

Relational standards or ideals are judgments about what people believe their relationships should be like. Different people view different standards as most important, but regardless of which standards they hold, if they believe their standards are unmet, they tend to be dissatisfied with their relationships. Individuals do vary, however, in how (and how well) they cope with unmet standards. Although gender stereotypes would suggest that men and women have very different standards, empirical findings suggest more similarities than differences in what men and women think counts as good relational communication. There is also evidence that people's standards are related to socially important behaviors, such as children reporting to their parents that they are victims of bullying.