Relational commitment and the silent treatment

Courtney N. Wright; Michael Elwood Roloff

doi:10.1080/08824090802636967

Relational commitment and the silent treatment

Courtney N. Wright^*, Michael Elwood Roloff

^*Corresponding author for this work

Communication Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

When upset with a relational partner, intimates often enact the silent treatment, although it can harm their relationships. This study investigates the degree to which relational commitment predicts a person's self-reported use of the silent treatment. Undergraduate daters indicated their relational commitment, their use of the silent treatment when upset with their partner, and what they do if the partner asks if they are upset. Relational commitment was negatively related to using the silent treatment and stonewalling when the partner asked if there was a problem. Relational commitment was only positively related to admitting being upset when the partner asked if there was a problem. Study limitations and future research implications are discussed.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	12-21
Number of pages	10
Journal	Communication Research Reports
Volume	26
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090802636967
State	Published - Jan 1 2009

Keywords

Ostracism
Relational Commitment
Silent Treatment
Social Confrontation
Stonewalling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Communication

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10.1080/08824090802636967

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Relational commitment and the silent treatment

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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