In lesson ten, we will examine communication climate. You will need to be familiar with:

• What is communication climate and how does it form?
• Review emotional expression and self-disclosure from previous posts
• Confirming and disconfirming messages

You can learn more about these concepts in Interplay. Read through the information, be familiar with these concepts, then watch episode 108 of Outlander on Starz, or read chapters 17 through 20 of Outlander (or both!). You may even want to make notes about the concepts and how they are depicted in the episode.

Then, answer one or more of these questions in the comments below:

1. What is the communication climate of Claire and Jamie’s relationship? How was it formed?
2. How does the first meeting between Claire and Black Jack set the communication climate?
3. How does emotional expression and self-disclosure arise in this episode?
4. What examples of confirming and disconfirming messages do you see in the episode?
5. Choose one of Gibb’s categories of defense-provoking vs. supportive behaviors and explain how it is represented in the series so far (any episode).

I look forward to seeing your answers and comments on this lesson.

Thank you for participating!

Our next lesson: Both Sides Now and Managing Conflicts