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-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T13:58:28.742Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Demand-Withdraw Communication during Couple Conflict: A Review and Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2009

By
Kathleen A. Eldridge  and
Andrew Christensen
Edited by
Patricia Noller  and
Judith A. Feeney
Kathleen A. Eldridge
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Andrew Christensen
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Patricia Noller
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Judith A. Feeney
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Get access

Summary

A summary is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content.
Image of the first page of this content. For PDF version, please use the ‘Save PDF’ preceeding this image.'
Type
Chapter
Information
Understanding Marriage
Developments in the Study of Couple Interaction
 , pp. 289 - 322
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

Acitelli, L. K. (1992). Gender differences in relationship awareness and marital satisfaction among young married couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 102–110CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, M. (1996). Children's perceptions and comparisons of two marital conflict patterns: Mutually hostile and demand-withdraw. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University
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
Baucom, D. H., & Adams, A. N. (1987). Assessing communication in mar-ital interaction. In K. D. O'Leary (Ed.), Assessment of marital discord (pp. 139–181). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Belle, D. (1987). Gender differences in the social moderators of stress. In R. C. Barnett, L. Biener, & G. K. Baruch (Eds.), Gender and stress (pp. 257–277). New York: Free Press
Berns, S. B., Jacobson, N. S., & Gottman, J. M. (1999a). Demand-withdraw interaction in couples with a violent husband. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 666–674CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berns, S. B., Jacobson, N. S., & Gottman, J. M. (1999b). Demand/withdraw interaction patterns between different types of batterers and their spouses. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25(3), 337–348CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (1993). Longitudinal study of marital interaction and dysfunction: Review and analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 13, 15–27CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brody, L. R. (1993). On understanding gender differences in the expression of emotion: Gender roles, socialization, and language. In S. J. Ablon, D. Brown, E. L. Khantzian, & J. E. Mack (Eds.), Human feelings (pp. 87–121). Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press
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(1), 28–39CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cain, J. A. (1996). The investigation of predictor variables for successful behaviorally based marital therapy. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Washington State University
Calhoun, P. S. (1998). The demand-withdraw interaction pattern in close relationships: An interdependence analysis. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Vanderbilt University
Chodorow, N. (1978). The reproduction of mothering: Psychoanalysis and the sociology of gender. Berkeley: University of California Press
Christensen, A. (1987). Detection of conflict patterns in couples. In K. Hahlweg & M. J. Goldstein (Eds.), Understanding major mental disorder: The contribution of family interaction research (pp. 250–265). New York: Family Process Press
Christensen, A. (1988). Dysfunctional interaction patterns in couples. In P. Noller & M. A. Fitzpatrick (Eds.), Perspectives on marital interaction (pp. 31–52). Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters Ltd
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, 73–81CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christensen, A., & Heavey, C. L. (1993). Gender differences in marital conflict: The demand/withdraw interaction pattern. In S. Oskamp & M. Costanzo (Eds.), Gender issues in contemporary society (pp. 113–141). Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Christensen, A., & Shenk, J. L. (1991). Communication, conflict, and psychological distance in nondistressed, clinic, and divorcing couples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 458–463CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christensen, A., & Sullaway, M. (1984). Communication patterns questionnaire. Unpublished questionnaire, University of California, Los Angeles
Christensen, A., Sullaway, M., & King, C. E. (1982, November). Dysfunctional interaction patterns and marital happiness. Los Angeles: Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy
Cutrona, C. E., Hessling, R. M., & Suhr, J. A. (1997). The influence of husband and wife personality on marital social support interactions. Personal Relationships, 4, 379–393CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutrona, C. E., & Suhr, J. A. (1994). Social support communication in the context of marriage: An analysis of couples' supportive interactions. In B. R. Burleson, T. L Albrecht, & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Communication of social support: Messages, interactions, relationships, and community (pp. 113–135). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Daylen, J. L. (1994). Gender differences in spouses' coping with marital tension. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia (Canada)
DeVault, M. L. (1990). Conflict over housework: The problem that (still) has no name. In L. Kriesberg (Ed.), Research in social movements, conflict, and change (pp. 189–202). Greenwood, CT: JAI
Eldridge, K. A. (2000). Demand-withdraw communication during marital conflict: Relationship satisfaction and gender role considerations. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles
Ellis, A. P. (1997). The effects of coping strategies and interactional patterns on individual and dyadic adjustment to prostate cancer. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas
Fogarty, T. F. (1976). Marital crisis. In P. J. Guerin (Ed.), Family therapy: Theory and practice (pp. 325–334). New York: Gardner Press
Gill, D. S., Fincham, F. D., & Christensen, A. (1999). Predicting marital satisfaction from behavior: Do all roads really lead to Rome? Personal Relationships, 6, 369–387CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Gottman, J. M., & Krokoff, L. J. (1989). Marital interaction and satisfaction: A longitudinal view. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 47–52CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gottman, J. M., & Krokoff, L. J. (1990). Complex statistics are not always clearer than simple statistics: A reply to Woody and Costanzo. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 502–505CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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. 182–202). Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters Ltd
Greenberg, L. S., & Johnson, S. M. (1986). Emotionally focused couples therapy. In N. S. Jacobson & A. S. Gurman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marital therapy (pp. 253–276). New York: Guilford Press
Hahlweg, K., Kaiser, A., Christensen, A., Fehm-Wolfsdorf, G., & Groth, T. (2000). Self-report and observational assessment of couples' conflict: The concordance between the Communication Patterns Questionnaire and the KPI observation system. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 61–67CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hahlweg, K., Reisner, L., Kohli, G., Vollmer, M., Schindler, L., & Revenstorf, D. (1984). Development and validity of a new system to analyze interpersonal communication: Kategoriensystem fuer Partnerschaftliche Interaktion (KPI). In K. Hahlweg & N. S. Jacobson (Eds.), Marital interaction: Analysis and modification (pp. 182–198). New York: Guilford Press
Heavey, C. L., Christensen, A., & Malamuth, N. M. (1995) The longitudinal impact of demand and withdrawal during marital conflict. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 797–801CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heavey, C. L., Gill, D. S., & Christensen, A. (1996). The couples interaction rating system. Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Los Angeles
Heavey, C. L., Layne, C., & Christensen, A. (1993). Gender and conflict structure in marital interaction: A replication and extension. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 16–27CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., Smutzler, N., Bates, L., & Vogel, D. (1995). Withdraw-demand communication behaviors: Comparing two observational coding systems. In A. Holtzworth-Munroe (Chair), Withdraw/demand behavior in marital interaction: Methodological and conceptual issues. Symposium conducted at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Washington, DC
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., Smutzler, N., & Stuart, G. L. (1998). Demand and withdraw communication among couples experiencing husband violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 731–743CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobson, N. S. (1983). Beyond empiricism: The politics of marital therapy. American Journal of Family Therapy, 11, 11–24CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacobson, N. S. (1989). The politics of intimacy. Behavior Therapist, 12, 29–32Google Scholar
Jacobson, N. S. (1990). Commentary: Contributions from psychology to an understanding of marriage. In F. D. Fincham & T. N. Bradbury (Eds.), The psychology of marriage (pp. 258–275). New York: Guilford Press
Jacobson, N. S., Follette, W. C., & Pagel, M. (1986). Predicting who will benefit from behavioral marital therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 518–522CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobson, N. S., & Gottman, J. M. (1998) When men batter women: New insights into ending abusive relationships. New York: Simon & Schuster
Jacobson, N. S., & Margolin, G. (1979). Marital therapy: Strategies based on social learning and behavior exchange principles. New York: Brunner/Mazel
Johnson, M. P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283–294CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Julien, D., Arellano, C., & Turgeon, L. (1997). Gender issues in heterosexual, gay and lesbian couples. In W. K. Halford & H. J. Markman (Eds.) Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons
Kelley, H. H., Cunningham, J. D., Grisham, J. A., Lefebvre, L. M., Sink, R. S., & Yablon, G. (1978). Sex differences in comments made during conflict within close heterosexual pairs. Sex Roles, 4, 473–492CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klinetob, N. A. (1997). An investigation of demand-withdraw communication in anxious, avoidant, and securely attached married couples. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University
Klinetob, N. A., & Smith, D. A. (1996). Demand-withdraw communication in marital interaction: Tests of interspousal contingency and gender role hypotheses. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 945–957CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klinetob, N. A., Smith, D. A., & House, V. L. (1994, November). Longitudinal association between demand/withdraw and marital adjustment. Poster presented to 28th Annual Convention of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, San Diego, CA
Kluwer, E. S. (1998). Marital conflict over the division of labor: When partners become parents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Kurt Lewin Institute Dissertation Series, University of Groningen
Kluwer, E. S., Heesink, J. A., & Vliert, E. (1997). The marital dynamics of conflict over the division of labor. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 635–653CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Komarovsky, M. (1962). Blue collar marriage. New York: Random House
Komarovsky, M. (1976). Dilemmas of masculinity. New York: Norton
Kurdek, L. A. (1995). Predicting change in marital satisfaction from husbands' and wives' conflict resolution styles. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57(1), 153–164CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laurenceau, J. (1999). The interpersonal process model of intimacy and marriage: A daily-diary approach. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Pennsylvania State University
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
Margolin, G., Talovic, S., & Weinstein, C. D. (1983). Areas of change questionnaire: A practical approach to marital assessment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 920–931CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Markman, H. J., & Kraft, S. A. (1989). Men and women in marriage: Dealing with gender differences in marital therapy. Behavior Therapist, 12, 51–56Google Scholar
McKelvie, M. M. (1999). The effect of hyperfemininity on communication patterns in dating couples. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Northern Illinois University
Monarch, N. D. (1998). An examination of the demand-withdraw pattern in naturalistic conflicts among couples. Unpublished master's thesis, University of California, Los Angeles
Mullin, W. J. (1999). The impact of depression on marital beliefs and marital communication. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Boston College
Murphy, C. M., & Meyer, S. L. (1991). Gender, power, and violence in marriage. Behavior Therapist, 14, 95–100Google Scholar
Napier, A. Y. (1978). The rejection-intrusion pattern: A central family dynamic. Journal of Marriage and Family Counseling, 4, 5–12CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noller, P. (1993). Gender and emotional communication in marriage: Different cultures or differential social power? Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 12, 132–152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noller, P., Feeney, J. A., Bonnell, D. & Callan, V. J. (1994). A longitudinal study of conflict in early marriage. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11, 233–252CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noller, P., Feeney, J. A., Sheehan, G., & Peterson, C. (2000). Marital conflict patterns: Links with family conflict and family members' perceptions of one another. Personal Relationships, 7(1), 79–94CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noller, P., & White, A. (1990). The validity of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 2, 478–482CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Leary, K. D. (1993). Through a psychological lens: Personality traits, personality disorders, and levels of violence. In R. J. Gelles & D. Loeske (Eds.), Current controversies regarding psychological explanations of family violence (pp. 7–30). Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Pace, J. F. (1999). The effects of gender, race, and client interpersonal style on therapists' clinical judgments in marital therapy. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Virginia
Pasch, L. A. (1994). Fertility problems and marital relationships: The effects of appraisal and coping differences on communication. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles
Pasch, L. A., & Bradbury, T. N. (1998). Social support, conflict, and the development of marital dysfunction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 219–230CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pasch, L. A., Bradbury, T. N., & Davila, J. (1997). Gender, negative affectivity, and observed social support in marital interaction. Personal Relationships, 4, 361–378CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peplau, L. A., & Gordon, S. (1985). Women and men in love: Gender differences in close heterosexual relationships. In V. E. O'Leary, R. K. Unger, & B. S. Wallston (Eds.), Women, gender, and social psychology (pp. 257–291). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Phelps, J. S. (1995). The relationship between interparental and marital communication, conflict, and power: The difference between husbands and wives. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder
Poleshuck, E. L. (1998). Couple conflict, life stress, and their interactions: Links to the development of child behavior problems. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Kent State University
Roberts, L. J., (2000). Fire and ice in marital communication: Hostile and distancing behaviors as predictors of marital distress. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63, 693–707CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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
Rubin, L. B. (1976). Worlds of pain: Life in the working class family. New York: Basic Books
Rubin, L. B. (1983). Intimate strangers: Men and women together. New York: Harper & Row
Rugel. R. P. (1997). Husband-focused marital therapy: An approach to dealing with marital distress. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher
Sayers, S. L., Baucom, D. H., Sher, T. G., Weiss, R. L., & Heyman, R. E. (1991). Constructive engagement, behavioral marital therapy, and changes in marital satisfaction. Behavioral Assessment, 13, 25–49Google Scholar
Shoham, V., Rohrbaugh, M. J., Stickle, T. R., & Jacob, T. (1998). Demand-withdraw couple interaction moderates retention in cognitive-behavioral versus family-systems treatments for alcoholism. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 557–577CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, D. A., Vivian, D., & O'Leary, K. D. (1991). The misnomer proposition: A critical reappraisal of the longitudinal status of “negativity” in marital communication. Behavioral Assessment, 13, 7–24Google Scholar
Sullaway, M., & Christensen, A. (1983). Assessment of dysfunctional interaction patterns in couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 653–660CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tannen, D. (1990). You Just Don't Understand. New York: Morrow
Terman, L. M., Buttenweiser, P., Ferguson, L. W., Johnson, W. B., & Wilson, D. P. (1938). Psychological factors in marital happiness. New York: McGraw-Hill
Walczynski, P. T. (1997). Power, personality, and conflictual interaction: An exploration of demand/withdraw interaction in same-sex and cross-sex couples. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles
Watzlawick, P., Beavin, J. H., & Jackson, D. D. (1967). Pragmatics of human communication: A study of interactional patterns, pathologies, and paradoxes. New York: Norton
Weiss, R. L., & Heyman, R. E. (1997). A clinical-research overview of couples interactions. In W. K. Halford & H. J. Markman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons
Wilder, J. A. (1999). The relationship between patterns of marital conflict and child behavior: Linking parental interaction and child responses to conflict. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University
Wile, D. B. (1981). Couples therapy: A non-traditional approach. New York: Wiley
Woody, E. Z., & Costanzo, P. R. (1990). Does marital agony precede marital ecstasy? A comment on Gottman and Krokoff's ‘Marital interaction and satisfaction: A longitudinal view.’; Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 58, 499–501CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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
×