Message processing in romantic dyads: how attachment and relational uncertainty impact relational outcomes

One of the primary questions that drive relationship science is why some relationships last, whereas other relationships falter. Theories and models of close relationships suggest that interpersonal communication is fundamental to understanding relationship outcomes (Ogolsky & Bowers, 2013; Ogolsky, Monk, Rice, Theisen, & Maniotes, 2017). For example, effective communication is positively related to relationship satisfaction, health, and functioning (Gottman, et al., 1998; Vangelisti, 2015), whereas maladaptive communication is a predictor of divorce and is associated with lower relationship satisfaction (Buehlman, Gottman, & Katz, 1992; Gottman & Krokoff, 1989; Gottman & Levenson, 1999, 2000). However, there have been mixed findings for which positive communication was related to negative outcomes and negative communication was related to positive outcomes (Gottman & Krokoff, 1989). One possible explanation for these conflicting results is that partners’ use of effective or maladaptive communication strategies may not be the sole predictor of relational outcomes. Instead, the way in which people interpret their partner’s messages (e.g., message processing) and discrepancies between partners’ perceptions may play a considerable role in how relationships unfold (Barry & Lawrence, 2013; Fincham, 2001; Reis, Clark, & Holmes, 2004). Therefore, this study examined message processing in terms of the discrepancies in partners’ perceptions of affiliative and aggressive humor use. In addition, the current research incorporates two theoretical approaches that are relevant to message processing and relational outcomes: relational turbulence and attachment. The first approach, relational turbulence theory, is rooted in communications and suggests that relational uncertainty influences communication processes (e.g., Solomon & Theiss, 2011). The second approach is from a dispositional perspective, suggesting that there are between-person differences in the predispositions that people bring to communication exchanges. In particular, the dispositional factor examined in this study (i.e., attachment styles) has been shown to influence people’s views and evaluations of communication messages (Bachman & Bippus, 2005). Altogether, in this study, I collected data from 160 couples to examine how discrepancies are associated with relational outcomes (i.e., relationship satisfaction, feeling understood and misunderstood) and how relational uncertainty and attachment (i.e., avoidance, anxiety) moderate this relationship. This was employed through a laboratory design in which couples engaged in a total of 9-minutes of conversations where they discussed a quality they wanted to change about their romantic partner. Partners then completed self-report measures and individually rated their video-recorded conversations to identify and rate affiliative and aggressive humor. I found that whether a person is higher or lower on attachment anxiety and avoidance, as well as if they report higher or lower relationship uncertainty can impact relational outcomes when there are fewer or more discrepancies in partners’ reports. However, there were gender differences, and the majority of the findings were insignificant for women. These results suggest that it is important to consider multiple factors as well as both partners’ perspectives to understand communication exchanges. Therefore, these findings contribute to our understanding of how partners’ perceptions, the relational environment, and individual differences can influence the communication process.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Theisen-Raub, Jaclyn Christine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ogolsky, Brian G
• Bost, Kelly
• Hardesty, Jennifer L
• Knobloch, Leanne

• Development

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2021 Jaclyn Theisen-Raub

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113881

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F113881