Gender and Willingness to Confront Hurtful Messages from Romantic Partners

Abstract

Based on a social role perspective, an individual's hurt and willingness to confront a face attack expressed by a romantic partner were hypothesized to vary with gender, type of face attack, and social context. Undergraduates responding to hypothetical scenarios revealed that when teased, women imagined they would be more hurt and more willing to confront their romantic partners’ attacks than did men. Men reported that they likely would perceive less audience support for confrontation than women. Men reported that they would be less likely than women to confront, regardless of social context. The effect of audience support and hurt are independent and both have comparable influence on willingness to confront. Our findings suggest that responses to hurtful messages are related to the messages’ emotional impact and gender norms.

Keywords:

• Hurtful Messages
• Gender roles
• Teasing
• Insults
• Interpersonal Conflict

Notes

Courtney Waite Miller (PhD, Northwestern University, 2004) is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Contact information: 1703 North Sheffield Ave. #2, Chicago, IL 60614, USA (Tel: [phone]; Email: [email protected]. Michael E. Roloff (PhD, Michigan State University) is a Professor in the Communication Studies Department at Northwestern University. Contact information: Department of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA (Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; Email: [email protected]). An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the National Communication Association convention in Miami, November 2003. The data analyzed in this manuscript are part of a larger data set collected for the first author's thesis, which was directed by the second author. A manuscript presenting the larger data set, but not the portion currently presented, is under review to be published and was presented at the International Communication Association convention in San Diego, May 2003.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael E. Roloff

Courtney Waite Miller (PhD, Northwestern University, 2004) is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Contact information: 1703 North Sheffield Ave. #2, Chicago, IL 60614, USA (Tel: [phone]; Email: [email protected]. Michael E. Roloff (PhD, Michigan State University) is a Professor in the Communication Studies Department at Northwestern University. Contact information: Department of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA (Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; Email: [email protected]). An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the National Communication Association convention in Miami, November 2003. The data analyzed in this manuscript are part of a larger data set collected for the first author's thesis, which was directed by the second author. A manuscript presenting the larger data set, but not the portion currently presented, is under review to be published and was presented at the International Communication Association convention in San Diego, May 2003.