Respect Writer

APPLICATION PAPER #2

TOPIC: Developing & Maintaining Relationships (Chapter 7)

REQUIREMENTS: The application paper must be two to three pages typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and in 12 point font (Times New Roman or Arial). Your paper MUST have a title and “Application Paper #2” is not acceptable. Please include your name, due date and course section (100-__) in the top, right hand corner of your first page. Your last name and page number must be on the upper right hand corner of every additional page. Your paper must include a solid introduction, body, and conclusion. Proper grammar and language rules must be followed for you to receive a desirable grade. Sources are not required for this paper.

PROMPT: Chapter 7 discusses self-disclosure and how people use self-disclosure to develop closer relationships. Some people are apprehensive to discuss certain topics or use strategic avoidance to avoid talking about certain topics. Write a two to three-page paper about topics that were taboo in your family growing up. What was talked about? What wasn’t? Why is that? What topics do you see as generally taboo to talk about in the United States? How do these taboos affect different aspects of our everyday lives? For example, people in the United States are uncomfortable talking about sex, which may have influenced the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy of the 1990s and 2000s. This discomfort may also have made it difficult to talk about AIDS prevention, especially in the mid-1980s.