Interpersonal Dominance in Relational Conflict: A View from Dyadic Power Theory

Abstract

This investigation uses dyadic power theory (Dunbar, 2004;Dunbar & Burgoon, 2005a;Rollins & Bahr, 1976) to offer competing hypotheses examining the relationship between power and dominance in close relationships. Forty-seven couples engaged in a conversation while being videotaped; the tapes were coded by third-party observers for dominance. Participants rated themselves to be the most dominant when they were equal to their partners in power, followed by those who perceived they were more powerful relative to their partners. Men and women had different perceptions of power and dominance in their relationships. Men's perceptions of power were not related to their behavioral dominance whereas when women saw themselves as more powerful, they viewed their partners as more dominant.

Serial Argument Goals and Conflict Strategies: A Comparison between Romantic Partners and Family Members

“…The relative lack of relationship type differences in the serial argument context is consistent with Dunbar et al's (2008) finding that romantic partners' perceptions of power did not impact their perceptions of conflict progress, escalation, and who ''won.'' One explanation is that, rather than focusing on the power differences in their relationships, individuals engaging in serial argument episodes may instead realize that the interdependence of these relationships means that causing harm to their partners via conflict strategy usage or pursuit of negative goals would have implications for themselves as well (Miller & Roloff, 2006).…”

“…DPT enhances previous dominance and power theories by emphasizing the role of interpersonal communication (Dunbar, 2004;Dunbar, Bippus, & Young, 2008). Namely, power is the product of interpersonal interaction and any form of communication could represent an attempt to control a partner, with individuals in more equal power relationships expected to use control attempts more than those in unequal power relationships (Dunbar, 2004;.…”

Convergence on Self-Generated vs. Crowdsourced Ideas in Crisis Response: Comparing Social Exchange Processes and Satisfaction with Process

“…However, social exchanges may also be characterized with negative emotions [12] that manifest in behaviors such as interactional dominance. An actor that is dominant in interaction asserts control through communication [37]. While past research on social exchange has examined the consequences of emotions [12,37,38], it has not yet been established to what extent the type of exchange resource, in our case self-generated vs. crowdsourced ideas, could be the cause for interactional dominance.…”

“…An actor that is dominant in interaction asserts control through communication [37]. While past research on social exchange has examined the consequences of emotions [12,37,38], it has not yet been established to what extent the type of exchange resource, in our case self-generated vs. crowdsourced ideas, could be the cause for interactional dominance. We believe that team members converging on self-generated ideas may exert dominance by influencing others with additional information on their self-generated idea.…”

A Review of Theoretical Approaches to Interpersonal Power

“…Dunbar predicts that pre-existing cultural, relational, and social factors and the resources that one has access to determine the perceptions of one's own power that influences their behavioral tactics within social interactions. 67 The theory suggests that partners in relationships with a power inequality will engage in less overt dominance than those in relationships that are power balanced. This is consistent with work by Keltner and colleagues, who argue that partners with greater relative power approach situations with the confidence that comes from having high status.…”