title: Discount and disengage: How chronic negative expressivity undermines partner responsiveness to negative disclosures.
abstract: Partner responsiveness-the degree to which partners respond with caring, understanding, and validation to one another's disclosures (Reis, Clark, & Holmes, 2004; Reis & Shaver, 1988)--has been heralded as a "core, defining construct" in relationship science (Reis, 2007, p. 28). Yet little is known about the determinants of responsiveness in ongoing relationships. The present research elucidates one such set of processes, focusing in particular on responsiveness to negative disclosures. We predicted that the degree to which a partner behaves responsively to negative disclosures depends on the partner's perception of the discloser's typical expressive tendencies. Results of 5 studies employing both correlational and experimental methods supported the hypothesis that partners are less responsive to negative disclosures made by disclosers whom they perceive to have high negativity baselines-that is, to express negativity frequently--than to identical (Studies 1-4) or equally negative (Study 5) disclosures made by disclosers with lower negativity baselines. We also examined 2 routes through which negativity baselines might affect partner responsiveness: by shaping listener appraisals of the discloser's need for support and by making disengagement from those interactions seem justifiable to listeners. These findings fill an important gap in the responsiveness literature and highlight the utility of considering person-context factors in emotion interpretation and responsiveness processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh.
authors.forename: Amanda L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Forest
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Kille
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo.
authors.forename: Joanne V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Holmes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D030881:Disclosure; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult