Some intimates try to prevent relational problems by agreeing not to talk about them again. This article investigates the antecedents and consequences of explicitly or implicitly declaring a topic taboo. A survey of college daters indicated that explicit agreements are more likely when individuals declare the topics unimportant to their relationship, but are less likely when the topic is perceived to be relationally harmful. Furthermore, prolonged discussion prior to declaring a topic taboo increases the explicitness of the accord. Relational satisfaction is negatively associated with the number of taboo topics, and with the degree to which such agreements are explicit. However, the association between satisfaction and explicitness is moderated by relational commitment. The negative association is only statistically significant among individuals who are relatively uncommitted or moderately committed to their relationship. Furthermore, this ordinal interaction proves to be a more powerful predictor of relational satisfaction that is the number of taboo topics.

Although the obstacle hypothesis has proven useful in understanding communication choices during request sequences, its utility is limited by the lack of explication of the obstacle construct. This article examines the types of obstacles that may be perceived and dimensions that differentiate them. Results suggest that six types of obstacles—possession, imposition, inappropriateness, postpone, no incentive, and recalcitrance—are perceived by individuals in request interactions. These obstacles appear to be distinguishable in the degree to which they reflect unwillingness to comply, inability to comply, and personal characteristics of the requester. The discussion section explores the implications of this conceptualization on understanding request interactions.

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