Idiomatic
Abstract
Research has suggested communication will change as romantic partners move from stages of
escalation to deescalation stages, however this has not been examined quantitatively. The
purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between idiomatic communication and
Knapp’s stages of escalation and deescalation. The results of the study (N = 245) found that
couples in deescalation stages utilize fewer idioms than couples in the escalation stages, and
escalating and deescalating couples differ in the frequency at which they use idioms. Couples in
deescalating stages use confrontational idioms that have more negative effects more often than
escalating couples, and men and women differ on their perceptions of two functions:
confrontations and requests. Finally, the use of idiomatic communication is significantly related
to solidarity, relational satisfaction, and affective orientation.
Idiomatic Communication in the Stages of Coming Together and Falling Apart
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