Abstract
Prior research indicated that lack of power leads to emotional suppression and low emotional expression during conflicts among strangers. However, little is known about how power affects emotional inhibition in close relationships, where partners are highly interdependent, and achieving one’s goals greatly depends on their partner’s cooperation. In three studies among romantic couples (total N = 994), we examined whether (a) power is related to emotional inhibition during conflicts, (b) perceived partner responsiveness moderates this effect and, (c) which conflict-resolution responses are subsequently enacted. Findings consistently showed that powerless individuals were more likely to inhibit their emotions and consequently to use passive responses during conflicts. However, this only occurred when they perceived lack of responsiveness from their partner. If the partner was perceived as responsive (i.e., showed care, validation, and understanding), power was not related to emotional inhibition and passive resolutions. The importance of partner’s responses in relation to power asymmetry is discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1203-1215 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Social Psychological and Personality Science |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 2 Mar 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2021 |
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for the R&D projects (Ref. PSI-2017- 83966-R) and (Ref. PSI2017-84703-R) (MINECO/AEI/FEDER/UE). This work was also supported in part by FPU16/03023 Grant.
Funders | Funder number |
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Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | |
European Regional Development Fund | |
Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de España | PSI2017-84703-R, PSI-2017- 83966-R |
Agencia Estatal de Investigación |