Affect and behavioral involvement in spousal complaints and compliments.
The authors explored affect and behavioral involvement (gaze, talk time, and speaking turns) in spousal complaints and compliments, relating these constructs to current and longitudinal relational well-being. Participants were 65 married couples. Concurrent relational well-being was higher when partners negotiated (a) complaints with less negative affect, more gaze, less wife talk time, and more husband talk time and (b) compliments with less negative affect and more husband gaze. Husbands' satisfaction decreased over time when they experienced more negative affect while complimenting. Both spouses' satisfaction decreased over time when either partner, especially wives, took more speaking turns complaining. Partial support for the sentiment-override effect is discussed, but findings went beyond the effect to demonstrate contingent affect when responding to spousal behaviors.
Flora
J
J
Department of Speech Communication, University of La Verne, 1950 3rd Street, La Verne, California 91750, USA. floraj@ulv.edu
Segrin
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003142:Communication; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007697:Kinesics; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008388:Marital Therapy; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009341:Negativism; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors