Suspicious Receivers’ Goals and Behaviors 18
suspicious receiver experiences message uncertainty, partner uncertainty, and relationship
uncertainty (RQ1). Overall, participants reported a moderate level of message uncertainty (M =
3.79, SD = 1.74), partner uncertainty (M = 3.62, SD = 1.17), and relationship uncertainty (M =
3.87, SD = 1.62). Regarding relationship uncertainty, participants reported higher level of
uncertainty in terms of the future (M = 4.03, SD = 1.91), t(71) = -3.10, p < .01, and the mutuality
of the relationship (M = 4.05, SD = 1.98), t(71) = -3.19, p < .01, than the behavioral norms of the
relationship (M = 3.47, SD = 1.56).
To identify a suspicious receiver’s interaction goals (RQ2), content analysis was
conducted and eleven goals were derived. As presented in Table 1, the results indicated that over
56% of the participants reported that they felt the need to reduce uncertainty as they became
suspicious about their partner’s truthfulness. Specifically, message uncertainty reduction (46.6%)
appeared to be the most salient goals of a suspicious receiver, indicating that detecting the
veracity of partner’s message is a primary goal of a suspicious receiver. Gaining more knowledge
about the partner (6.9%) and clarifying relationship characteristics (10.3%) were also frequently
reported interaction goals of suspicious receivers.
In terms of the relationship protection goals, it was found that 31.5% of the participants
had relationship protection goals on their mind as they experience suspicion. Participants
reported that they attempted to consider the partner’s feeling (18.5%), indicating that people try
to show affection and trust toward the partner even under the influence of suspicion. Avoiding
negative evaluation (16.4%) was also an important goal of a suspicious receiver. Participants
reported that they didn’t want to be accused or perceived to be aggressive. Some people
indicated that they wanted to minimize imposition (4.1%) and respect the partner’s autonomy. A
goal to continue the relationship was added to the relationship protection goal category. Several
individuals (8.2%) reported that sustaining the relationship and not breaking up with the partner
Convention