Relational Commitment and the Silent Treatment

You ShouldJust KnowWhy I'm Upset: Expectancy Violation Theory and the Influence of Mind Reading Expectations (MRE) on Responses to Relational Problems

“…Silent Treatment and Combativeness was rated on 7-point scales (1 ¼ never, 7 ¼ often) of how frequently they responded by (1) giving the silent treatment (five items) and (2) becoming combative toward the partner (five items). Respondents' uses of the silent treatment (a ¼ .87, M ¼ 3.27, SD ¼ 1.46) and combativeness (a ¼ .81, M ¼ 2.17, SD ¼ 1.12) were assessed using measures developed by Wright and Roloff (2009) and Roloff, Soule, and Carey (2001) respectively. Relational satisfaction-Because a person's current relational satisfaction can bias his or her retrospective accounts (e.g., Kearns & Fincham, 2005), we used relational satisfaction as a covariate.…”

Exhausting Silence: Emotional Costs of Withholding Complaints

“…Participants reported their use of the silent treatment (e.g., “I ignore this person”) on a 6‐item scale (Wright & Roloff, ) that ranged from 1 = never to 7 = often . On average, use of silent treatment was moderate ( M = 3.20, SD = 1.28).…”

“…Stonewalling was measured using a reliable scale ( M = 3.52, SD = 1.45, α = .83) based on Gottman's () description (Wright & Roloff, ). On six items, the frequency of stonewalling (e.g., “I deny that I am upset”) ranged from 1 = never to 7 = often .…”

“…Some forms of punitive action are direct, such as active verbal and physical aggression. However, some relational partners engage in passive aggressive actions, such as the silent treatment and stonewalling (e.g., Wright & Roloff, ). The silent treatment is a form of purposeful ostracism when feeling upset with a partner that involves aloof behaviors commonly reported as avoidance of eye contact and ignoring the partner (Williams, ).…”

“…Stonewalling behaviors include active efforts to maintain little facial movement and to avoid paying attention to the partner (Coan & Gottman, ). Although stonewalling sometimes is a defensive response to emotional flooding resulting from a partner's harsh criticism, it also can be used offensively to hurt a partner by denying them information or disconfirming their presence (see Wright & Roloff, ). In addition to hurting a partner, stonewalling relates to higher likelihood of relationship dissolution (Gottman & Levenson, ).…”