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Dialectical tensions in marital couples' accounts of their relationships
Abstract
Dialectical tensions, defined as opposing forces that people experience in their relationships, are important for relational development. Predictability-novelty, for instance, is an example of a tension manifested by partners simultaneously desiring predictability and spontaneity in their relationships. Past dialectical studies are problematic as they neglect to include both couples' accounts of the relationship, and they fail to distinguish between the frequency and importance of the tensions. The present study identifies contradictions in married couples accounts' of their relationships and assesses couples' perceptions of the importance of tensions. Three research questions are specifically addressed: (1) Do married couples identify the six tensions proposed by Baxter--autonomy-connection, predictability-novelty, openness-closedness, inclusion-seclusion, conventionality-uniqueness, and revelation-concealment?; (2) Do married couples identify different tensions at the different relational points?; and (3) Which of the six tensions do couples perceive as most important at different relational points? To address these questions, fifteen couples were interviewed about their relationships. Couples also completed an instrument identifying the importance of tensions at three relational points. Transcripted data were coded in terms of the six dialectical tensions. One key finding was that the tension of autonomy-connection was the most frequently experienced contradiction; this result suggested that individuals often struggle with the need to be with their partner and the need to be by themselves. Couples perceived openness-closedness as the most important tension; however, this tension was not frequently mentioned in the couples' accounts. This finding indicated that the competing forces to self-disclose and remain discrete may not be a topic of frequent discussion, but is perceived as being vitally important. Results also showed that inclusion-seclusion and revealment-concealment were more important for wives than husbands. Thus, wives were more concerned with establishing external networks than were husbands. Overall, the findings suggested that dialectical tensions were prevalent in relationships and may be an important component in understanding the maintenance and changes in marital relationships.
Subject Area
Communication|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
Recommended Citation
Pawlowski, Donna R, "Dialectical tensions in marital couples' accounts of their relationships" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9609433.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9609433