Ruining it for Both of Us: The Disruptive Role of Low-Trust Partners on Conflict Resolution in Romantic Relationships

Employing a behavioral observation paradigm, we tested whether high-trust partners buffered the reactions of low-trust partners during a conflict discussion to create more positive post-conflict outcomes, or whether low-trust partners pulled down high-trust partners to create more negative post-conf...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social cognition 2015-10, Vol.33 (5), p.520-542
Main Authors: Kim, John S., Weisberg, Yanna J., Simpson, Jeffry A., Oriña, M. Minda, Farrell, Allison K., Johnson, William F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral psychology
Conflict resolution
Couples
Personal relationships
Social psychology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Employing a behavioral observation paradigm, we tested whether high-trust partners buffered the reactions of low-trust partners during a conflict discussion to create more positive post-conflict outcomes, or whether low-trust partners pulled down high-trust partners to create more negative post-conflict outcomes. Ninety-five married couples discussed a conflict and reported felt closeness to their partners both pre- and post-discussion. As hypothesized, low-trust partners were more influential than high-trust partners. When at least one relationship partner was low in trust, both partners felt less close following the conflict discussions. Partners felt increased closeness following conflict only when both partners scored high in trust. Observer-rated behaviors of forgiveness and contempt both mediated the link between dyadic trust and felt closeness. These findings extend our understanding of trust in romantic relationships by identifying some of the behavioral consequences of being high versus low in trust, and by illuminating the importance of viewing trust dyadically to achieve a fuller understanding of how romantic couples manage conflict.
ISSN:0278-016X
1943-2798
DOI:10.1521/soco.2015.33.5.520