A concentration on communication processes is essential to sorting out fundamental problems in interpersonal relationships. This book provides a general theory of the role of communication in interpersonal relationships that is grounded in the rules perspective and focuses on self-concept and interaction as the generative mechanisms of relationship formation and growth. The authors explore the kind of information that is exchanged in the process of initiating, developing, and maintaining friend and mate relationships. Both types of relationships are explored in numerous cultural settings--including America and American subcultures as well as Korea, Nigeria, Japan, and China. The inclusion of Nigerian culture is particularly significant because the research literature in interpersonal communication is lacking any information from the continent of Africa. Implications are then considered for communication exchange across three categories of interpersonal communication--culture, conflict, and quality.