Relationships - discuss the role of communication in maintaining relationships

Question 1

communication

Answer 1

what people say to each other AND how they say it

Question 2

what to communicate

Answer 2

• positive attribution styles
• communicating openness and assurance
• avoidance of negative emotions

Question 3

communication: openness and assurance

Answer 3

openness:

• sharing experiences
• telling your partner things about yourself that they may not know

assurances:

• offering comfort
• showing interest in their emotional well-being

study: Weigel-Ballard and Reisch (1999)

Question 4

Weigel-Ballard and Reisch (1999)

Answer 4

• married couples completed a questionnaire
• traditional couples: high levels of assurance but low levels of openness
• independent couples: more communication, higher levels of openness
• traditional couples are likely conflict-avoidant, resulting in lower openness
• while independent couples would rather solve problems than avoid them

Question 5

communication: attribution styles

Answer 5

Bradbury and Fincham (1990):

• spouses in happy relationships f„ocused more on their partner’s positive behaviour
• attributed positive events to partner’s disposition, and negative events to situational factors
• spouses in unhappy relationships made the reverse attributions

Fincham (2004):
the link between attribution styles and marital satisfaction: positive attributions enhance the relationship, while negative attribution styles increase distress

Question 6

communication: avoiding negative emotions

Answer 6

Gottman’s theory oƒf the Four Horsemen ofƒ the
Apocalypse:
- criticism: making negative dispositional attributions
- contempt: attacking the partner’s sense of self with the intent of psychological abuse
- defensiveness: self-victimization
- stonewalling: avoiding communication (e.g. silent treatment)

Gottman:

• dissatisfied couples display more negative emotions, and often display negative reciprocity/retaliation
• emotional expression and control play a role in confict resolution and marital satisf„action
• non-verbal factors (e.g. facial expressions) can be picked up on by the partner

study: Gottman et al (2003)

Question 7

Gottman et al (2003)

Answer 7

• tested conflict management between older and younger married couples
• 156 married couples were asked not to talk to each other for 8 hours prior to the experiment
• asked to discuss 3 topics in the laboratory
• physiological measurements (e.g. heart rate) were taken
• 3 topics were: their experiences during the day, 1 pleasant topic, and 1 topic of disagreement between them
• discussions were recorded on video and different emotions were observed
• noted that older couples that had been together longer communicated more affection
• also noted that older couples could communicate with their partner in a way that avoids negative results
• thus communication styles change over time in order to maintain relationships