Verbal Avoidance and Dissatisfaction in Intimate Conflict Situations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to more closely examine the association between avoidance and satisfaction during a potentially conflict-inducing conversation with one's dating partner. The results suggest that the way people respond to their own and their partner's conflict avoidance depends upon whether they are male or female. The perception of one's partner's avoidance and one's own avoidance were only dissatisfying for women. Moreover, although the chilling effect (M. E. Roloff & D. H. Cloven, 1990) was present for both men and women, it only affected women's relationship satisfaction. The results also revealed that the association between conflict avoidance and dissatisfaction was bidirectional for women. For both men and women, the more dissatisfied they were entering into the conversation, the more they avoided during it. Women's avoidance, however, also negatively influenced their relationship satisfaction. Finally, the strength of the associations suggests that satisfaction may have a slightly stronger impact on avoidance than avoidance has on satisfaction.

Husbands' Conflict Styles in Chinese Mother/Daughter-In-Law Conflicts: Daughters-in-Law's Perspectives

“…Supporting Hypothesis 2, the avoiding and competing styles were associated negatively with the dependent variables. These findings in general are consistent with prior studies on interpersonal and intergenerational conflict management (e.g., Afifi et al, 2009;Cai & Fink, 2002;Ting-Toomey, 1998;Zhang et al, 2005) and are supportive of the Common Ingroup Identity Model (CIIM). The Common Ingroup Identity Model posits that people with dual identities within a superordinate group can help reduce intergroup tensions and enhance connections between people of different groups (Gaertner et al, 1999;Harwood et al, 2006).…”

“…Moreover, avoidance of conflict by both conflict parties could negatively predict relational satisfaction (Afifi, McManus, Steuber, & Coho, 2009). Regarding marriage quality, in general, a couple's marital satisfaction is affected by the spouses' conflict resolution styles.…”

Emotions Associated with Verbal Aggression Expression and Suppression

“…Theory and research implies that expressing verbal aggression can have a positive, cathartic effect (e.g., Bushman, 2002); however, the same expressions can also evoke negative affect, such as feelings of guilt and anxiety (Eagly & Steffen, 1986). While suppressing aggression during conflict can enhance a relationship (e.g., Roloff & Ifert, 2000), conversely, it also exacerbates rumination, distress, and dissatisfaction (Afifi, McManus, Steuber, & Coho, 2009). Because theses outcomes are likely to affect the course of interpersonal conflicts and future incidences of aggression, we seek to clarify the message senders' subjective experiences of verbal aggression expression and suppression.…”

Topic Valence and Ambiguity in Parent-Emerging Adult Child Postdivorce Discussions

“…On the prediscussion questionnaire, parents and children individually listed the ''most frequent divorce-related stressors'' and the ''happiest memories'' they shared with one another. To reduce undue distress, conventions used in conflict interaction studies were followed (e.g., Afifi, McManus, Steuber, & Coho, 2009): The first author informed participants they would see each other's lists later in the study, and if there were topics they did not feel comfortable discussing, they did not have to include them on the lists. On average, parents and children each listed three negatively valenced topics and three positively valenced topics.…”