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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

2004

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Stepchildren’S Perceptions Of The Contradictions In Communication With Stepparents, Leslie A. Baxter, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Leah E. Bryant, Amy Wagner Aug 2004

Stepchildren’S Perceptions Of The Contradictions In Communication With Stepparents, Leslie A. Baxter, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Leah E. Bryant, Amy Wagner

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This interpretive study, framed in relational dialectics theory, sought to identify stepchildren’s perceptions of the contradictions that animate communication with the stepparent in their household of primary residence. In-depth interviews were conducted, producing 802 pages of double-spaced interview transcripts, which were analyzed inductively for commonly experienced contradictions of stepchild-stepparent communication. Three underlying contradictions were identified. First, stepchild-stepparent communication was perceived to be characterized by a dialectic of integration, characterized by both closeness and distance. Second, stepchild-stepparent communication was perceived to be characterized by a dialectic of parental status, in which the stepparent was, and was not, granted legitimacy in a …


“If You Hit Me Again, I’Ll Hit You Back”: Conflict Management Strategies Of Individuals Experiencing Aggression During Conflicts, Loreen N. Olson, Dawn O. Braithwaite Jul 2004

“If You Hit Me Again, I’Ll Hit You Back”: Conflict Management Strategies Of Individuals Experiencing Aggression During Conflicts, Loreen N. Olson, Dawn O. Braithwaite

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

In interpersonal relationships characterized by aggression, the negotiation of conflict is especially significant. The present study examined the conflict management strategies used by 31 individuals who had experienced verbal and/or physical aggression during conflicts with their partners. Sillars’ (1986) conflict tactics coding system was used as a framework to analyze 960 pages of transcribed data. The results of this deductive content analysis indicated that the participants reported using primarily Distributive conflict strategies. Analytic induction was also used to interpret nonverbal forms of conflict management, revealing three common tactics: crying, nonverbal avoidance, and aggression. Implications for using these conflict strategies in …