Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2002

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Communication Studies

Committee Chair

Melanie Booth-Butterfield.

Committee Co-Chair

Matthew M. Martin

Committee Member

Keith Weber

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the role that emotion based personality traits play in conflict tactic choice and relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. The researchers proposed that emotional intelligence and affective orientation influenced the choice of verbally aggressive or reasoning tactics use and their subsequent affects on overall relationship satisfaction. 159 participants, 84 men and 75 women, from a large Mid-Atlantic university participated in this study. Results showed that emotional intelligence and affective orientation were significantly correlated (r = .58), and that affective orientation in combination of the participants' perceptions of their partner's use of verbally aggressive, and reasoning tactics had the most influence on relationship satisfaction. There were gender differences in affective orientation and emotional intelligence, with females scoring higher, but not in the choice of conflict tactics.

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