Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T14:40:18.484Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - The Communication of Couples in Violent and Nonviolent Relationships: Temporal Associations with Own and Partners' Anxiety Arousal and Behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2009

By
Patricia Noller  and
Nigel D. Roberts
Edited by
Patricia Noller  and
Judith A. Feeney
Patricia Noller
Affiliation:
Professor of Psychology, University of Queensland
Nigel D. Roberts
Affiliation:
University of Queensland, Australia
Patricia Noller
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Judith A. Feeney
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Get access

Summary

Interaction is the sine qua non of relationships; it is through communication that persons initiate, define, maintain, and terminate their social bonds.

—Baxter, 1985, p. 245

Once violence occurs, the threat of further violence is always present, which may be viewed as a powerful form of psychological abuse.

—Cahn, 1996, p. 11

When researchers merely count the overall levels of communication behaviors, they may not capture the intricacies of couple interaction (Hooley & Hahlweg, 1989; Sayers & Baucom, 1991; Weiss1989). To study the complexity of couple interaction, it is necessary to examine how an action by partner A affects partner B, how B consequently acts, and how partner B's actions then affect partner A, and so on (Margolin, 1988b). Subtle differences in the communication patterns of couples in violent compared with nonviolent relationships may only emerge when behaviors or emotions are analyzed in terms of their sequencing, rather than in terms of their overall levels or frequencies.

In this study, the communication patterns of couples in violent and nonviolent relationships are compared. However, rather than investigating the overall levels of anxiety/arousal experienced by couples, or the overall levels of behaviors and emotions displayed by couples, the temporal associations between these various aspects of couple communication are examined. The study is clearly multimethod, and involves the assessment of physiological measures, insider ratings of anxiety, and outsider ratings of communication behavior.

Type
Chapter
Information
Understanding Marriage
Developments in the Study of Couple Interaction
 , pp. 348 - 378
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arias, I., & Beach, S. R. H. (1987). Validity of self-reports of marital violence. Journal of Family Violence, 2 (2), 139–149CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Babcock, J. C., Waltz, J., Jacobson, N. S., & Gottman, J. M. (1993). Power and violence: The relation between communication patterns, power discrepancies, and domestic violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 40–50CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burman, B., John, R. S., & Margolin, G. (1992). Observed patterns of conflict in violent, nonviolent, and nondistressed couples. Behavioral Assessment, 14, 15–37Google Scholar
Burman, B., Margolin, G., & John, R. S. (1993). America's angriest home videos: Behavioral contingencies observed in home reenactments of marital conflict. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 28–39CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cacioppo, J. T., Marshall & Goodell, B. S., & Gormezano, I. (1983). Social psychophysiology: Bioelectrical measurement, experimental control, and analog-to-digital data acquisition. In J. T. Cacioppo, & R. E. Petty (Eds.), Social psychophysiology: A sourcebook (pp. 666–690). New York: Guilford
Christensen, A., & Heavey, C. L. (1990). Gender and social structure in the demand/withdraw pattern of marital conflict. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59 (1), 73–81CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cordova, J. V., Jacobson, N. S., Gottman, J. M., Rushe, R., & Cox, G. (1993). Negative reciprocity and communication in couples with a violent husband. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102 (4), 559–564CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawson, M. E., Schell, A. M., & Fillion, D. L. (1990). The electrodermal system. In J. T. Cacioppo & L. G. Tassinary (Eds.), Principles of psychophysiology: Physical, social, and inferential elements (pp. 295–324). New York: Cambridge University Press
Gottman, J. M. (1981). Time-series analysis: A comprehensive introduction for social scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Gottman, J. M. (1994). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (1985). A valid procedure for obtaining self-report of affect in marital interaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53 (2), 151–160CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (1986). Assessing the role of emotion in marriage. Behavioral Assessment, 8, 31–48Google Scholar
Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (1988). The social psychophysiology of marriage. In P. Noller, & M. A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on marital interaction (pp. 182–200). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters
Griffin, W. A., & Gottman, J. M. (1990). Statistical methods for analyzing family interaction. In G. R. Patterson (Ed.), Depression and aggression in family interaction (pp. 131–168). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Gross, J. J., & Levenson, R. W. (1993). Emotional suppression: Physiology, self-report, and expressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64 (6), 970–986CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Rapson, R. (1994). Emotional contagion. New York and Paris: Cambridge University Press
Heyman, R. E., Weiss, R. L., & Eddy, J. M. (1995). Marital interaction coding system: Revision and empirical evaluation. Behavior Research and Therapy, 33 (6), 737–746CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hooley, J. M., & Hahlweg, K. (1989). Marital satisfaction and marital communication in German and English couples. Behavioral Assessment, 11, 119–133Google Scholar
Izard, C. E. (1991). The psychology of emotions. New York: Plenum Press
Levenson, R. W., & Gottman, J. M. (1983). Marital interaction: Physiological linkage and affective exchange. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 587–597CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levenson, R. W., & Gottman, J. M. (1985). Physiological and affective predictors of change in relationship satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 85–94CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lloyd, S. (1988). Physical aggression and distress in marriage: The role of everyday marital interaction. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Philadelphia
Lloyd, S. (1990). Conflict types and strategies in violent marriages. Journal of Family Violence, 5, 269–284CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Margolin, G. (1988a). Interpersonal and intrapersonal factors associated with marital violence. In G. T. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirkpatrick, & M. A. Straus (Eds.), Family abuse and its consequences (pp. 203–217). Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Margolin, G. (1988b). Marital conflict is not marital conflict is not marital conflict. In R. D. Peters & R. J. McMahon (Eds.), Social learning and systems approaches to marriage and the family (pp. 193–216). New York: Brunner/ Mazel
Margolin, G., John, R. S., & O'Brien, M. (1989). Sequential affective patterns as a function of marital conflict style. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 56, 24–33Google Scholar
Murphy, C. M., & O'Farrell, T. J. (1997). Couple communication patterns of maritally aggressive and nonaggressive male alcoholics. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58, 83–90CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norton, R. (1983). Measuring marital quality: A critical look at the dependent variable. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 141–151CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Retzinger, S. M. (1991a). Shame, anger, and conflict: Case study of emotional violence. Journal of Family Violence, 6 (1), 37–60CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Retzinger, S. M. (1991b). Violent emotions: Shame and rage in marital quarrels. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Roberts, L. J., & Krokoff, L. J. (1990). A time-series analysis of withdrawal, hostility, and displeasure in satisfied and dissatisfied marriages. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 95–105CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, N. D. (1998). Communication in violent relationships: The role of attachment and arousal. Unpublished Ph. D thesis, University of Queensland, Australia
Rosenbaum, A. (1988). Methodological issues in marital violence research. Journal of Family Violence, 3(2), 91–104CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sayers, S. L., & Baucom, D. H. (1991). Role of femininity and masculinity in distressed couples' communication. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61 (4), 641–647CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheff, T. J., & Retzinger, S. M. (1991). Emotions and violence. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books
Stets, J. E., & Henderson, D. A. (1991). Contextual factors surrounding conflict resolution while dating: Results from a national study. Family Relations, 40, 29–36CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75–86CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Straus, M. A. (1990). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. In M. A. Straus & R. J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptations to violence in 8,145 families (pp. 29–47). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Press
Vivian, D., & O'Leary, K. D. (1987). Communication patterns in physically aggressive engaged couples. Paper presented at the Third National Family Violence Research Conference, Durham, NC
Wagner, H. L., & Calam, R. M. (1988). Interpersonal psychophysiology and the study of the family. In H. L. Wagner (Ed.), Social psychophysiology and emotion: Theory and clinical applications (pp. 211–229). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons
Weiss, R. L. (1989). The circle of voyeurs: Observing the observers of marital and family interactions. Behavioral Assessment, 11, 135–147Google Scholar
Williams, E. A., & Gottman, J. M. (1981). A user's guide to the Gottman-Williams time-series analysis computer programs for social scientists. New York: Cambridge University Press

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×