Romantic conflict narratives and associations with psychological relationship aggression in emerging adult couples

Bibliographic Data

ID2931114
AuthorsCandice Feiring (0000-0001-5911-7666, College of New Jersey, corresponding author), Elisa Liang (0000-0002-9799-7526, College of New Jersey), Charles M Cleland (0000-0002-6931-9904, New York University), Charles Cleland (0000-0002-2738-8274, New York University, New York, NY, USA), Valerie A Simon (0000-0002-0594-2254, Wayne State University), Valérie Simon (0000-0002-2624-157X, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA)
Year2022
Volume39
Issue5
Pages1529-1548
Publication date2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/02654075211059538
OpenAlexW4205423390
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited70

This cross-sectional study aimed to understand how emerging adult couples interpreted relationship conflicts, and whether such meaning making was associated with psychological relationship aggression and moderated by gender. We specified the I Cubed model of relationship aggression to examine how in the context of recounting relationship conflicts, the impellance factors of anger and break-up anxiety might increase and the inhibition factor of perspective taking might decrease the likelihood of relationship aggression. Each partner in 126 couples was interviewed separately about their unmet relationship needs. Narrative-based measures of impellance and inhibition were obtained as well as self-reported psychological relationship aggression and satisfaction. Although gender was not a moderator, there was some support for associations of impellance and inhibition factors with aggression. Extending prior work using couple observations and diary methods, we found that interpreting conflict events in terms of anger and perspective taking was related to relationship aggression while controlling for relationship satisfaction. Consistent with the I Cubed model, there were actor effects such that anger ratings were an impellance factor that increased and perspective taking was an inhibition factor that decreased the likelihood of aggression. Our findings suggest that narrating past conflicts related to unmet needs is a task that involves the management of anger associated with more relationship aggression. The efficacy of relationship education programs for emerging adult couples might be improved by focusing on skills to decrease anger and facilitate perspective taking

Aggression · Anger · Anxiety · Context (archaeology · Developmental psychology · Moderation · Perspective (graphical · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology · Social Psychology

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