INTEGRATING THE RELATIONAL TURBULENCE MODEL AND RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION TO EXPLAIN REACTIONS TO HURTFUL MESSAGES IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Open Access
- Author:
- McLaren, Rachel
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Arts and Sciences
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- July 28, 2008
- Committee Members:
- Denise Haunani Solomon, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
James Dillard, Committee Member
Jon F Nussbaum, Committee Member
Michael Wenger, Committee Member - Keywords:
- hurtful messages
relational turbulence
hurt
relational communication - Abstract:
- The aim of this dissertation was to explain why people have varied reactions to relational events. I addressed this issue by integrating relational communication into the relational turbulence model and developing specific predictions about the associations among relational turbulence, dominance, disaffiliation, and reactions to hurtful events. Specifically, I hypothesized that relational turbulence would be positively associated with perceptions of dominance and disaffiliation in a hurtful interaction with a romantic partner (H1). I also predicted that perceptions of dominance and disaffiliation would result in more intense reactions to hurt, as indexed by intensity of hurt, negative emotions, and perceptions of intentionality (H2). In an effort to bring a dyadic approach to these predictions, I posited that the associations specified in H1 and H2 remain significant after controlling for the perpetrator’s perceptions of the victim’s reactions to hurt (H3). I also considered the effects of relational turbulence on conversations that partners have about a past hurtful message. In a fourth hypothesis, I predicted that relational turbulence is positively associated with people’s perceptions of dominance and disaffiliation in a conversation about a past hurtful event (H4). To the extent that partners are experiencing turbulence, they might have difficulty drawing similar relational inferences. Consequently, I also predicted that relational turbulence increases partner’s discrepancies in perceptions of dominance and disaffiliation in a conversation about past hurtful events (H5). In turn, I hypothesized that discrepancies in partners’ perceptions of dominance and disaffiliation decrease their mutual understanding and increase their perceptions of the difficulty of the conversation (H6). In other words, misaligned relational inferences obstruct people’s ability to achieve mutual understanding and increase feelings of difficulty during a conversation focused on resolving a past hurtful event I conducted three studies to test my predictions. Although the findings for the associations among relational turbulence, dominance, and disaffiliation were inconsistent across the three studies, the results provided initial support for the integration of relational communication and the relational turbulence model. Results showed that relational turbulence positively influences perceptions of dominance, with regard to either a hurtful interaction or a conversation focused on resolving a past hurt. Furthermore, perceptions of dominance positively predicted perceptions of disaffiliation, which influenced people’s reactions to hurt, as indexed by intensity of hurt, negative emotions, and perceived intentionality. Finally, results showed that discrepancies in perceptions of dominance and disaffiliation between partners negatively influenced their ability to achieve mutual understanding in a conversation about a past hurtful event. This dissertation provides a theoretical contribution to the relational turbulence model by integrating relational communication. Furthermore, it demonstrates the relational inferences that influence hurt, as well as illustrates how relational judgments influence people’s ability to discuss a past hurtful event.