The Use and Consequences of Verbal Influence Strategies During Interpersonal Disagreements

Interpersonal influence refers to the strategies and tactics communicators use to establish, reinforce, or alter one another's cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. It is argued that influence functions to attain instrumental goals, manage the relationship, and preserve desired identities. These three functions guided the development of a categorical system for classifying 36 verbal influence tactics according to six major strategy types applicable to the context of resolving disagreements. Videotaped interactions of 50 married couples were coded for strategy use by eight trained raters. The most frequently used strategies were content validation, self-assertions, and other accusations, whereas content invalidation, self-defense, and other-support received far less use. Correlational results between strategy use and consequences revealed that: (a) males were more persuasive when using content validation and self-assertions and less persuasive when using content invalidation and other-accusations, (b) females were more persuasive when using other-support and less persuasive when using content invalidation, and (c) greater communication satisfaction was experienced by both partners when the other used supportive tactics and did not use accusatory ones. Analyses of couples'behavior suggests the predominant interaction pattern was reciprocal rather than compensatory.     

The Transition to Young Adulthood: Generational Boundary Dissolution and Female Identity Development

This research explored links between differential qualities of family connectedness and young adult females' development of an independent identity. Identity development involves exploration of possible roles and choices in particular domains such as occupation, dating, and friendship, followed by commitment to a set of values and behaviors in one of these areas. In this study, women who reported that their parents encouraged autonomy while still maintaining closeness also reported more exploration in their friendship and dating relationships. In contrast, reports of parent-child boundary dissolution, characterized by role-reversal, enmeshment, and overinvolvement, were related to less exploration, particularly in dating relationships. Mother-daughter boundary dissolution, specifically, was linked to women'stendency to base their commitments to a career and relationships with others on parental values and expectations without ever exploring alternative choices. Father-daughter boundary dissolution was related to lower exploration as well as lower commitment to values and beliefs in any area. These findings lend support to theoretical and clinical impressions that inter-generational boundary violations hinder the development of an independent identity.     

A tutorial on analyzing data from speed‐dating studies with heterosexual dyads

Speed‐dating studies provide a useful venue for studying attraction and other relationship initiation processes. They provide researchers with a unique opportunity to assess how much a dyadic behavior (e.g., attraction) is due to some relationship‐specific adjustment or the dispositional tendencies of the two people interacting. Researchers can also investigate the impact of individual difference variables on relationship initiation outcomes. This article shows researchers how to address such interesting questions by providing an extended treatment of how to apply the social relations model (D. A. Kenny & L. La Voie, 1984) to data from a typical speed‐dating study with heterosexual dyads. The statistical program SPSS is used given its widespread use and accessibility.