Week 6- Communication and conflict

Question 1

What is communication

Answer 1

Involved a sender (encoder, message and receiver (decoder)

Question 2

What are examples of paralanguage

Answer 2

Non-verbal aspects of communication, facial expression, tone of voice, gesture

Question 3

What is noise

Answer 3

All the features that can interfere with clear, effective communications

Question 4

What are the findings of the marriage study?

Answer 4

Happy couples were more successful in correctly interpreting messages than unhappy couples
Happy husbands sent clearer messages than unhappy husbands
Happy husbands were better at interpreting wives’ messages than unhappy husbands
No differences in accuracy were found between happy and unhappy wives
Wives made fewer sending (encoding) errors than men overall, especially for positive messages;
Happily married husbands were especially accurate in sending positive messages (encoding), compared to unhappily married husbands
Unhappy wives were concerned at the apparent lack of positivity from their husbands - but this could be due to husbands’ lack of encoding skills, rather than negative intentions

Question 5

What was determined about wives and husbands verbal and non verbal messages

Answer 5

Wives’ verbal and nonverbal messages were consistent with one another
e.g., a positive comment sent with a smile
Husbands’ verbal and nonverbal messages tended to be inconsistent (mixed)
e.g., a positive comment sent with a frown

Question 6

What is negative reciprocity

Answer 6

Unhappy wives tend to determine the degree of negative reciprocity –
They reciprocate perceived negative behaviours and are more likely to respond negatively than unhappy husbands

Question 7

What is demand withdraw

Answer 7

In 60% of cases, woman demands and man withdraws (“stonewalls”)
May be a function of differing needs for autonomy and closeness
May be due to sex-role socialization (women wanting intimacy, men independence)

Question 8

Typically what do men and women individually emphasize in relationships

Answer 8

Men tend to emphasize status, independence, directness

Women tend to emphasize intimacy, connection, indirectness

Question 9

What is facework

Answer 9

Refers to the social image one has of oneself, based on other people’s approval and esteem

Question 10

What is the definition of conflict

Answer 10

‘the perception held by individuals that the outcomes they are seeking cannot be achieved simultaneously’ (Pruitt & Rubin, 1988)

Question 11

What are causes of conflict?

Answer 11

Lack of communication
Issues of equalty and fairness
Criticism
Illegimate demands
Rebuffs
Cumulative annoyance

Question 12

What are the types of conflict

Answer 12

Four potential responses to conflict (Rusbult, 1980s):
Active – doing something
Passive  - doing nothing
Constructive – doing something positive
Destructive – doing something negative

Question 13

What are the four types of conflict behaviours

Answer 13

Exit – active, destructive (fight, abuse)
Voice – active, constructive (try to resolve)
Loyalty – passive, constructive (wait for things to improve, try to be positive)
Neglect – passive, destructive (assume things won’t get better, don’t try to resolve)

Question 14

What is accommodation

Answer 14

A combination of voice and loyalty behaviours

Involves actively inhibiting the impulse to respond destructively to negative partner behaviour

Question 15

What did Roberts find in the study of exit and neglect

Answer 15

Found both hostile (exit) and distancing (neglect) behaviours had negative impact on marital satisfaction
Identified three types of distancing:
A) angry withdrawal
B) conflict avoidance
C) intimacy avoidance

Question 16

What were the results of the roberts study?

Answer 16

A husband’s hostility predicted wife’s unhappiness; a wife’s withdrawal predicted husband’s unhappiness
Husbands whose wives withdrew emotionally were the most unhappy
Wives whose husbands criticized were the most unhappy
Note interesting contrast to classic demand-withdraw pattern

Question 17

What is the result of conflict avoiders over time?

Answer 17

Tend to be less happy than conflict engagers

Question 18

What is Gottman’s couple typology

Answer 18

Couples either regulated or unregulated.
A balanced (regulated) relationship is one in which couples enact 5 to 1 positive to negative behaviours
Non-regulated relationships are more dysfunctional than regulated relationships

Question 19

What are the five types of marriage?

Answer 19

Three regulated- Volatiles – intensely emotional, positive and negative
Validators – interactions characterized by ease and calm
Conflict minimizers – emphasis on finding common ground; belief that disagreements are not important
2 Unstable-
1) Hostile – much direct engagement in conflict and much defensiveness; much blaming and accusing
2) Hostile/detached – ‘guerrilla warfare’ types – generally detached but bitter skirmishes – so-called “fire and ice” patterns (withdrawing when partner needs care/love is especially damaging)