Explaining Variation in Contemporaneous Responses to Hurt in Premarital Romantic Relationships: A Relational Turbulence Model Perspective

Abstract

The authors use the relational turbulence model to derive hypotheses linking characteristics of relationships and reactions to hypothetical hurtful messages from a romantic relationship partner. It was hypothesized that relational uncertainty and perceptions of goal interference and facilitation from a partner predict perceptions of relational turbulence, which in turn predicts the intensity of hurt feelings, negative emotions, and the perceived intentionality of hurt evoked by hypothetical scenarios involving that partner. Participants in a web-based survey ( N = 381) completed measures of relationship qualities and recorded responses to five hypothetical scenarios that described their romantic partner delivering a potentially hurtful message. As anticipated, relationship uncertainty and interference from a partner predicted increased relational turbulence, whereas facilitation from a partner was associated with less turbulence; relational turbulence significantly predicted all three reactions to hurtful messages. The discussion highlights the contribution of the study to an understanding of hurtful messages by revealing the dynamic relational characteristics that influence people’s contemporaneous reactions to hurt.

The Effect of Relationship Characteristics and Relational Communication on Experiences of Hurt From Romantic Partners

“…Two previous studies have applied the relational turbulence model (RTM; Solomon & Knobloch, ) to understand the association between relationship qualities and experiences of hurt within romantic relationships (McLaren, Solomon, & Priem, ; Theiss, Knobloch, Checton, & Magsamen‐Conrad, ). RTM specifies that relational uncertainty and partner interference render people more reactive to relationship events (e.g., Solomon & Knobloch, ).…”

“…Theiss et al () assessed people's experience of hurt over 6 weeks and found that relational uncertainty and partner interference were positively associated with intensity of hurt, perceived intentionality, and relational damage. McLaren et al () assessed people's contemporaneous responses to hypothetical scenarios depicting a romantic partner being hurtful and found that relational uncertainty and interference from a partner were positively associated with relational turbulence, whereas facilitation from a partner was associated with less turbulence. Furthermore, that study found that relational turbulence was positively associated with intensity of hurt, negative emotions, and perceptions of intentionality.…”

“…These studies indicate that RTM is applicable to understanding hurt, but they also raise questions about the mechanisms underlying the associations highlighted by the perspective. Although research shows that people report more intense negative feelings when they judge their relationship is in turmoil (McLaren et al, ), what is not clear is how this relationship feature influences people's responses to specific messages from partners. In this article, we propose incorporating relational communication (specifically, judgments of dominance and disaffiliation) as an explanatory link from RTM to people's emotional and cognitive experiences of hurt.…”

Using Appraisal Theory to Predict Emotional and Coping Responses to Hurtful Messages

“…A large body of scholarship has relied on undergraduate student samples to examine hurtful communication, including studies investigating hurt from mothers (Kennedy-Lightsey & Dillow, 2011), in families (Vangelisti et al, 2007), in pre-marital romantic relationships (McLaren, Solomon, & Priem, 2011). Research exploring honest but hurtful messages (Zhang & Stafford, 2008), willingness to confront hurt feelings (Miller & Roloff, 2007), and the biological stress reactions to hurtful messages (Priem, McLaren, & Solomon, 2010) has utilized college-based samples.…”

Relational Turbulence Theory Applied to the Transition from Deployment to Reintegration

“…The theory defines relational turbulence as a global attribute of relationships, on par with other constructs such as intimacy, satisfaction, and commitment. Items measuring relational turbulence ask people to rate their relationship via adjectives such as chaotic, tumultuous, and stressful (e.g., Knobloch, ; McLaren, Solomon, & Priem, ).…”