11-14 lawrence

What is the definition of interpersonal conflict in the context of intimate relationships?

Interpersonal conflict occurs when one person’s motives, goals, beliefs, opinions, or behavior interfere with or are incompatible with those of another.

In close relationships, conflict is considered _____ because of differing moods and the presence of dialectics.

Inevitable

What are dialectics in the context of intimate relationships?

Opposing motivations that can never be completely satisfied because they contradict each other.

Identify the dialectic tension involving the desire to be independent versus the desire to be close to a partner.

Autonomy vs. Connection

The dialectic of _____ vs. _____ involves the tension between being candid and transparent versus maintaining privacy.

Openness vs. Closedness

Identify the dialectic tension between the desire for routine and the desire for novelty.

Stability vs. Change

The dialectic of _____ vs. _____ involves the tension between spending time with one's social network and staying alone with a partner.

Integration vs. Separation

How frequently do dating couples typically report experiencing conflicts?

Dating couples report approximately 2.3 conflicts per week.

How does the personality trait of 'negative emotionality' influence conflict frequency?

People high in negative emotionality tend to experience more frequent conflicts.

Which attachment style is associated with encountering fewer conflicts and managing them more effectively?

Secure attachment style

What is the most common topic of marital conflict, accounting for 38% of disagreements in one study?

Children (care and discipline)

Term: Criticism

Definition: Verbal or nonverbal acts that communicate unfair dissatisfaction or seem unjustly critical.

Requests that are excessive and seem unjust to the partner are known as _____.

Illegitimate demands

What occurs when one partner is denied a desired reaction from the other?

Rebuffs

Term: Cumulative annoyances

Definition: Relatively trivial events that become irritating with repetition, often leading to 'social allergies'.

What is attributional conflict?

Conflict that occurs when partners argue over whose explanation for an event is correct and whose is wrong.

The tendency for one partner's irritation to be met with the other's irritation, leading to an upward spiral of anger, is called _____.

Negative affect reciprocity

Identify three examples of 'direct actions' during the escalation phase of conflict.

Accusations, hostile commands/threats, and antagonistic questions.

Condescension and evasion are examples of _____ actions taken during conflict.

Indirect

Describe the demand/withdraw pattern.

A cycle where one partner becomes insistent with demands while the other becomes resistant and withdraws.

Identify the four quadrants of responses to conflict based on the dimensions of 'active/passive' and 'constructive/destructive'.

Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect

In the context of conflict responses, what is 'Voice'?

Actively and constructively working to improve the situation.

In the context of conflict responses, what is 'Loyalty'?

Passively but constructively waiting and hoping for things to get better.

Passively and destructively allowing a relationship to worsen is known as _____.

Neglect

What is 'Exit' in the context of conflict responses?

Active but destructive responses, such as leaving the partner.

Define 'accommodation' as a conflict management skill.

The ability to remain calm and inhibit the impulse to 'fight fire with fire' in the face of a partner's provocation.

Which type of couple has frequent, passionate arguments but tempers them with wit and fondness?

Volatile couples

How do 'Validators' typically handle disagreements?

They fight politely and calmly, behaving more like collaborators than antagonists.

Which type of couple rarely argues and prefers to duck confrontation?

Avoiders

Describe the 'Hostile' couple style.

They are nasty to each other, using criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and withdrawal, making their arguments corrosive.

Identify the conflict outcome where one partner gets their way because the other capitulates.

Domination

What is an 'integrative agreement' in conflict resolution?

An outcome that satisfies both partners' original goals through creativity and flexibility.

What is the primary goal of the 'Speaker-Listener Technique'?

To ensure that each partner is heard and understood without immediate problem-solving or escalation.

In relationship science, _____ is the ability to influence the behavior of others and to resist their influence on us.

Social power

What is the 'principle of lesser interest'?

The idea that the partner who is less dependent on the relationship has more power within it.

Contrast 'Fate control' and 'Behavior control'.

Fate control allows one to control a partner's outcomes regardless of their actions; behavior control encourages but does not compel specific behaviors.

Identify the type of power based on the ability to provide positive incentives or remove negatives.

Reward power

Term: Coercive power

Definition: Power based on the ability to administer punishments or remove rewards.

What is 'Legitimate power'?

Power based on recognized authority or social norms of equity, reciprocity, or responsibility.

Power derived from a partner's love and respect for you, leading them to want to identify with you, is called _____ power.

Referent

Contrast 'Universalistic' and 'Particularistic' resources.

Universalistic resources (like money) can be exchanged with anyone; particularistic resources (like love) are valuable only with specific partners.

Worldwide, most cultures are governed by norms of _____, which often make male dominance seem natural or ordinary.

Patriarchy

List the four dimensions used to judge equality in a relationship.

Relative status, attention to the other, patterns of accommodation, and well-being.

How does nonverbal behavior differ between high-power and low-power individuals?

Powerful people tend to take up more space and display less nonverbal sensitivity than those with less power.

Identify the two dimensions that define styles of power.

Direct vs. Indirect and Bilateral vs. Unilateral.

What is 'Situational Couple Violence' (SCV)?

Violence that erupts from specific angry arguments that get out of hand, where both partners are equally likely to be perpetrators.

Term: Intimate Terrorism (IT)

Definition: A form of violence where one partner uses violence as a tool to control and oppress the other, typically perpetrated by men.

What is 'Violent Resistance'?

When a partner forcibly fights back against a perpetrator of intimate terrorism.

List the three components of the 'I-cubed model' of intimate partner violence.

Instigating triggers, Impelling influences, and Inhibiting influences.

In the I-cubed model, what are 'inhibiting influences'?

Factors that encourage partners to refrain from acting on violent impulses, such as conscientiousness or sobriety.

Why do about one-third of battered women stay in abusive relationships?

They believe they will not be better off if they leave, often due to high costs or fear of greater violence/retaliation.

What is the current estimated chance that a recent marriage in the U.S. will end in divorce or separation?

Approximately 50 percent.

How has the increase in women working outside the home affected divorce rates?

It provides women with economic freedom and access to alternative partners, making divorce more likely.

Identify the three factors in Levinger’s Barrier Model that influence breakups.

Attraction, Alternatives, and Barriers.

What are 'enduring vulnerabilities' in Karney and Bradbury’s Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model?

Personal liabilities or weaknesses (e.g., inborn traits, past experiences) that people bring into their marriages.

According to the PAIR Project, what is the 'enduring dynamics' model of marital failure?

The idea that spouses bring problems to the marriage that surfaced during courtship, making the marriage weak from the start.

Contrast the 'emergent distress' and 'disillusionment' models of marital failure.

Emergent distress suggests problems begin after marriage; disillusionment suggests couples start with unrealistic positivity that eventually fades.

According to the Early Years of Marriage Project, why did Black couples have a higher divorce rate (55%) than white couples (36%)?

The Black couples faced greater economic hardship, which puts any marriage at risk regardless of how much it is valued.

What is the most frequently cited cause of divorce among women according to self-reports?

Infidelity (25 percent).

Describe the 'dyadic phase' in the process of dissolution.

The stage where discontent is revealed to the partner, leading to confrontation, negotiation, and attempts at reconciliation.

What occurs during the 'grave-dressing phase' of a breakup?

Partners put the relationship behind them through reassessment, rationalization, and creating accounts of the failure.

Term: Churning

Definition: A pattern where couples break up and then reconcile, which is associated with stress and lower satisfaction.

What is the most potent influence on the well-being of children following a divorce?

Parental conflict (acrimonious interactions between parents).

What are 'relationship maintenance mechanisms'?

Strategic actions people take to sustain their partnerships.

Define 'cognitive interdependence' as a maintenance mechanism.

Committed partners think of themselves as a couple (using 'we/us') rather than as separate individuals.

Term: Positive illusions

Definition: A cognitive strategy where partners idealize each other, viewing faults as trivial and misbehavior as temporary aberrations.

What is 'perceived superiority' in relationship maintenance?

The cognitive tendency for committed partners to believe their relationship is better than most others.

How do committed partners typically handle 'attractive alternatives'?

They display 'inattention to alternatives' and 'derogation of tempting alternatives' (judging them as less desirable).

What is the 'Michelangelo phenomenon'?

When committed partners promote each other's growth by supporting the development of desired new skills and roles.

In behavioral maintenance, what is 'accommodation'?

Swallowing minor mistreatment without biting back and responding constructively instead.

The intentional act of paying attention to and thoroughly enjoying shared pleasures is called _____.

Savoring

List four communication-based strategies for staying content in a relationship.

Positivity, Assurances, Sharing tasks, and Openness.

What is the primary focus of the PREP program?

Preventive maintenance through commitment, fun, open communication about sex, and managing expectations.

Identify the goal of Traditional Behavioral Couple Therapy (BCT).

To replace negative/punishing interactions with more gracious actions, often using explicit contracts.

How does Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy (CBCT) differ from traditional BCT?

CBCT focuses on changing the way partners think about the relationship, challenging unrealistic beliefs and negative attributions.

What is the unique focus of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT)?

It teaches partners to accept incompatibilities they cannot change through empathy, detachment, and tolerance building.

What is the primary goal of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT)?

To train spouses to treat each other in ways that allow them to feel safe, loved, and securely connected.

Term: Insight-oriented couple therapy

Definition: Therapy that seeks to free spouses of problematic emotional baggage and assumptions carried from prior relationships.