Conversational Self-Focus in Adolescent Friendships: Observational Assessment of an Interpersonal Process and Relations with Internalizing Symptoms and Friendship Quality

Abstract

Although youth with internalizing symptoms experience friendship difficulties, surprisingly little is known about their problematic interpersonal behaviors. The current observational study identifies a new construct, conversational self-focus, defined as the tendency to direct the focus of conversations to the self and away from others. Results indicated that youth with internalizing symptoms were especially likely to engage in self-focus when discussing problems with friends and that doing so was related to their friends perceiving the relationship as lower in quality, particularly helping. Content analyses further indicated that self-focused youth talked about themselves in ways that were distracting from their friends’ problems and that they changed the subject abruptly. Last, conversational self-focus was not redundant with related constructs of rumination and self-disclosure. This research highlights the importance of intervention efforts aimed at teaching self-focused youth ways to cope with distress that are more effective and will not damage their friendships.

Depressive Symptoms and Conversational Self-Focus in Adolescents’ Friendships

“…Coyne proposed that “...it is the nonreciprocal, high disclosure of intimate problems by depressed persons” that may adversely affect close relationships (p. 192). These speculations by Coyne prompted the development of the construct referred to as conversational self-focus (Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009). In the context of problem talk, conversational self-focus is the tendency to re-direct conversations about problems to focus on one’s own trials and tribulations.…”

“…To date, only one study has considered the construct of conversational self-focus (Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009). In this study, conversational self-focus was reliably assessed using observations of adolescent friends’ conversations about problems.…”

“…In the initial study of conversational self-focus (Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009), and in studies assessing associations of excessive reassurance seeking and negative feedback seeking with friendship problems (Borelli & Prinstein, 2006; Joiner et al, 1997; Prinstein et al, 2005), adjustment in friendships was assessed using traditional measures of friendship quality (e.g., reports of companionship and recreation, validation and caring, etc.). Indeed, in the current study, friends of self-focused youth are expected to perceive the friendships as relatively low quality.…”

Problem-focused discussions in digital contexts: The impact of information and communication technologies on conversational processes and experiences

“…However, a more in depth analysis of the effects of computer-mediated communication on the process and outcomes of problem focused-discussions could provide more insights as to how digital technologies impact friend interactions. Indeed, sequential analysis, thought-unit coding, and expressive behavioral analysis help identify behavioral patterns that go beyond identifying the degree to which individuals engage in a behavior on average to more clearly delineate the process of the conversation and the mutual influence that conversational partners have on one another (see Gottman, Markman, & Notarius, 1977;Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009). For example, research on conversational-self focus employing thought-unit coding and analysis demonstrated significant negative associations between the extent to which individuals turn the topics back to their own problems and their conversational partners' perceptions of the quality of their relationship (Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009).…”

“…Indeed, sequential analysis, thought-unit coding, and expressive behavioral analysis help identify behavioral patterns that go beyond identifying the degree to which individuals engage in a behavior on average to more clearly delineate the process of the conversation and the mutual influence that conversational partners have on one another (see Gottman, Markman, & Notarius, 1977;Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009). For example, research on conversational-self focus employing thought-unit coding and analysis demonstrated significant negative associations between the extent to which individuals turn the topics back to their own problems and their conversational partners' perceptions of the quality of their relationship (Schwartz-Mette & Rose, 2009). Furthermore, sequential behavioral analysis allows for an examination of how message delivery and affective context influence a variety of conversational processes including metacommunication, emotional expression, word usage, and nonverbal behavior (Gottman et al, 1977).…”