Relational surprise experiences as a unique form of relational maintenance

This study presents an initial exploration and conceptualization of relational surprise experiences (RSEs) as communication phenomenon involving strategic relational maintenance behaviors with potential for positive and negative outcomes. University students in the Southeastern United States (N = 203) described a RSE that occurred with a close relational partner (romantic partner, friend, or family member), explained how deception was used to achieve the surprise, and reported relational benefits and drawbacks in an online survey. Seven types of RSEs were reported including gifts, events, visits, and destinations. Responses revealed that people considered surprises as relationally beneficial with minimal drawbacks. Although over one-third of the participants described their partner’s pants perceived the surprise as a violation of relational rules. Some participants reported both benefits and drawbacks to RSEs, thereby illuminating a nuance for traditional relational maintenance typologies. This study establishes a path to explore implications of RSEs for individual and relational satisfaction, happiness, and well-being.

Parent–Child Relationship Satisfaction: The Influence of Family Communication Orientations and Relational Maintenance Behaviors

This study examined emerging adults’ satisfaction with parent–child relationships as a function of family communication orientations and relational maintenance behaviors. Two hundred and eleven emerging adults completed measures assessing family communication orientations (conversation and conformity), relational maintenance behaviors (shared tasks, shared networks, positivity, openness, and assurances), and satisfaction with parent–child relationships. Results demonstrated that family conversation orientation and relational maintenance behaviors were positively associated with relationship satisfaction; family conformity orientation was not related to relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, findings indicated support for a model in which positivity and openness mediated the association between family conversation orientation and children’s satisfaction with parent–child relationships.

Extending the theory of resilience and relational load into polyamorous relationships

This article, framed through the theory of resilience and relational load (TRRL) investigated the effects of relational maintenance behaviors in polyamorous relationships. Specifically, it hypothesized that repeated use of prosocial maintenance behaviors would demonstrate relational investment and act as moderators for the effect of identity gaps, or feelings of discrepancy between aspects of one’s identity, on relational satisfaction and resilience. With a few exceptions, findings largely support the predictions of TRRL. Social networks, advice, positivity, openness, and shared tasks moderate the effects of personal-enacted identity gaps on relational satisfaction. Advice, social networks, and openness moderate the effects of personal-relational identity gaps on resilience. Allowing control, destructive conflict, and jealousy induction moderate the effects of personal-enacted identity gaps on relational satisfaction. Only spying of the negative maintenance behaviors moderates the effects of personal-relational identity gaps on relational satisfaction. For the most part, as predicted, positive relational maintenance behaviors appear to weaken, and antisocial maintenance behaviors strengthen, the negative association between identity gaps and relational satisfaction and resilience. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Grandchildren’s Perceptions of Grandparents’ Use of Relational Maintenance Behaviors

The purposes of this study were to examine (a) grandchildren’s perceptions of the extent to which their grandparents’ use relational maintenance behaviors; (b) grandchildren’s perceived differences in grandparents’ use of relational maintenance behaviors as functions of grandparent sex, grandchild sex, and grandparent–grandchild (GP-GC) family lineage; and (c) the relationships between grandchildren’s perceptions of their grandparents’ use of relational maintenance behaviors and the grandchildren’s self-reported GP-GC relational characteristics. Young adult grandchildren ( N = 209) completed a questionnaire in reference to a specific GP-GC relationship. Descriptive statistics indicated that grandparents use the seven relational maintenance behaviors (i.e., advice, assurances, conflict management, networks, openness, positivity, and tasks) to different degrees. However, the multivariate analyses of variance did not indicate any significant effects for grandparent and grandchild sex or GP-GC family lineage on perceived grandparental use of relational maintenance behaviors. Conversely, Pearson correlations provided support for the hypothesized positive relationships between grandchildren’s perceptions of their grandparents’ use of relational maintenance behaviors and the grandchildren’s self-reported GP-GC relational characteristics.

PEMELIHARAAN HUBUNGAN ANTARA ORANGTUA YANG BERCERAI DAN ANAK (STUDI KUALITATIF DESKRIPTIF KOMUNIKASI ANTARPRIBADI ANTARA ORANGTUA YANG MEMILIKI HAK ASUH DENGAN ANAKNYA)

Family is the smallest social unit in the society. Family also has an important role in the personal development in a child. However, today divorce rate in Indonesia has increased and divorce will harm people involved, including children. Divorce triggers weakens relationship between parent and children. In relational maintenance there are several behaviors used to maintain relational maintenance between parent and children. So the researcher was interested to know relational maintenance behaviours between divorced parents who had custody of their children with their children. In this study the researcher used qualitative research method and purposive sampling as the sampling technique. The informants were: divorced man or woman who has custody of their child and the man or woman’s child. Three people were from each group were interviewed, totaling in 6 informants. The method to test data validity has source triangulation method by comparing interview and observation result from all data sources, and only selecting consistant data which has then used as data. The result of this showed that the applications of relational maintenance behaviours between parent who had custody of their children with their children consisted of several types,including positivity, openness and routine talk,assurances, task and sharing, supportiveness,joint activities, humor, and constructive conflict management. However not all relational maintenance behaviors do by divorced parents who had custody of their children with their children. Some relational maintenance behaviors performed by divorced parents who had custody of their children with their children were: positivity, supportiveness, joint activities, humor, and constructive conflict management. Meanwhile, relational maintenance behaviors that is not performed by divorced parents who had custody of their children with their childrenwere: openness and routine talk and task and sharing that based on the lack of frequency of face-to-face between parents and children. Generally, relational maintenance performed by parent who had custody of their children with their children.

Aggressive Humor as a Negative Relational Maintenance Behavior during Times of Conflict

This study explores how aggressive humor is used as a negative relational maintenance behavior during conflicts in romantic relationships. Negative relational maintenance behaviors are questionable interpersonal behaviors romantic partners use to relieve personal tensions about the state of the relationship while still keeping the relationship in existence. Twenty-six participants in committed romantic relationships participated in seven semi-structured group interviews, and transcripts from these group interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. This analysis revealed participants were motivated to use aggressive humor in conflict situations to cover up topics of discussion, elicit a response from their partners, and ease tension. Aggressive humor was enacted through sarcasm, repetition, and mimicking. These findings extend existing research on negative relational maintenance behaviors and provide insight to the “dark side” of maintaining romantic relationships.

Romantic Jealousy on Facebook

This article uses White and Mullen's jealousy model as a basis to derive hypotheses about the causes and effects of Facebook-related romantic jealousy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to test these hypotheses (N = 196). General Facebook use by the user or the romantic partner were not substantially related to user jealousy. Reports of a variety of interactions between partners and potential rivals were positively related to jealousy, including the partner posting on others' walls and acquiring new Facebook friends which are unknown to the user. Additionally, those interaction were also associated with attempts to improve the relationship using Facebook relational maintenance behaviors as well as intentions to end it or have casual extra-dyadic sex (infidelity).