Andy J. Merolla

Communicating Forgiveness in Friendships and Dating Relationships

Retrospective accounts of transgression and forgiveness situations in ongoing friendships and dating relationships were coded based on Kelleys (1998) three forms of forgiveness granting (direct, indirect, and conditional). Across the sample, indirect forgiveness was reported most frequently, followed by direct and conditional forgiveness. Forgiveness-granting tendencies varied by relationship type, as friends reported more instances of indirect forgiveness than did dating partners, and dating partners reported more instances of conditional forgiveness than did friends. For both relationship types, transgressions of increasing severity and blameworthiness tended to be forgiven indirectly or conditionally. An additional focus of this study was ongoing negative affect (ONA) that persists after forgiveness has been communicated to a transgressor. ONA was salient for about 22% of participants, was positively related to transgression severity and was negatively related to relational satisfaction. Conditional forgivers reported higher levels of ONA than did direct or indirect forgivers.

Forgiveness in the United States and China: Antecedents, Consequences, and Communication Style Comparisons

To better understand how culture influences the interpersonal forgiveness process, this study examined forgiveness communication in United States and Chinese relationships. Four key forgiveness antecedents—social harmony, empathy, apology, and blame—were examined as predictors of forgiveness communication. Social harmony, counter to predictions, positively predicted direct, rather than indirect, forgiveness in Chinese relationships. Empathy, expected to be a robust predictor of forgiveness communication across cultures, was not a good predictor in either. Instead, the best predictors of forgiveness communication were offender apology and, to a lesser extent, blame. In both cultures, apology positively predicted direct and conditional forgiveness and negatively predicted nonexpression, while blame positively predicted conditional forgiveness. In both cultures, moreover, direct forgiveness negatively, and nonexpression positively, predicted relational damage. These results suggest direct forgiveness is an important component of relational repair in individualistic and collectivistic contexts. Conditional forgiveness, though unrelated to relational damage, positively predicted ongoing negative affect in Chinese and United States relationships.

Forgive like You Mean It: Sincerity of Forgiveness and the Experience of Negative Affect

When individuals experience forgiveness, it can free them from negative emotion. What happens, though, when individuals’ internal experience and their external expression of forgiveness do not correspond? Individuals, for instance, can communicate forgiveness to a partner, even if that forgiveness is not genuine. Although this might create a veneer of forgiveness in relationships, underlying negativity could persist. To examine this issue, this study tested the moderating effects of sincerity on the relationship between victims’ forgiveness communication and their experience of ongoing negative emotion. Results showed that direct forgiveness negatively, and conditional forgiveness positively, predicted negative affect, but those relationships were contingent on victims’ sincerity level. Sincerity, moreover, was positively predicted by victims’ self-esteem and perceptions of offender accounts.

Relationship-Specific Hope and Constructive Conflict Management in Adult Romantic Relationships Testing an Accommodation Framework

Using sequenced conflict interaction scenarios, this study tested Rusbult and colleagues’ partner accommodation framework. In addition, we examined the unique effects of relationship-specific hope, a variable we argue contributes to constructive conflict communication in adult romantic relationships. Results generally, but not completely, supported the predictive power of the partner accommodation model. Consistent with predictions, relationship-specific hope positively predicted partner accommodation in multiple scenarios. Moreover, relationship-specific hope positively predicted postconflict relational evaluations through its effects on partner accommodation. Supporting the tenets of hope theory, relationship-specific hope was found to be a more robust predictor of accommodation in multiple scenarios when partner responses were nonconciliatory (compared with conciliatory). This suggests that hope is most consequential to relational communication in especially trying relational circumstances. We interpret our findings, and their implications, based on interdependence theory, hope theory, and existing conflict management research.

Using an Acculturation‐Stress‐Resilience Framework to Explore Latent Profiles of Latina/o Language Brokers

With survey data from 243 Latina/o early adolescent language brokers, latent profile analyses were conducted to identify different types (i.e., profiles) of brokers. Profiles were based on how often Latina/o early adolescents brokered for family members, as well as their levels of family-based acculturation stress, negative brokering beliefs, parentification, and positive brokering beliefs. Three brokering profiles emerged: (1) infrequent-ambivalents, (2) occasional-moderates, and (3) parentified-endorsers. Profile membership was significantly predicted by ethnic identification and brokering in a medical context. Respect, brokering at school, and brokering at home did not significantly predict profile membership. In addition, parentified-endorsers had more frequent perceived ethnic/racial discrimination and depressive symptoms than other profiles. In contrast, infrequent-ambivalents engaged in risky behaviors less frequently than other profiles.

Parental Hope Communication and Parent-Adolescent Constructive Conflict Management: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis

ABSTRACT Drawing from relational conflict management research and hope theory, the present study hypothesized that parental hope communication is positively related to constructive parent-adolescent conflict management. Utilizing three waves of longitudinal survey data from 393 Latina/o 6th–8th grade students, we tested the hypotheses using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which partitions variance at the between-person and within-person levels over time. At the between-person level, we found that, relative to the sample averages, as Latina/o students reported higher levels of parental hope communication, they tended to report higher levels of constructive conflict over the academic year. At the within-person level, parental hope communication at one time point positively predicted constructive parent-adolescent conflict at the next time point. Our findings inform hope theory, family communication, and positive communication research by demonstrating the potential utility of parental hope communication for increasing constructive conflict in parent-adolescent relationships.

Memorable Messages as Sources of Hope

Based on hope theory, this study examined potential links between hope and memorable messages. Using qualitative methods, the authors coded the content and form of memorable messages in three domains: academics, relationships, and finances. Quantitative analysis then tested if the memorable message characteristics of positivity and efficacy were associated with dispositional and domain-specific hope. Consistent with predictions, participants with higher dispositional hope reported more positive and efficacious messages across message domains. Hierarchical regression analysis suggested that the agency, but not the pathways, dimension of dispositional hope predicted message positivity and efficacy. Regression results also indicated that participants with higher domain-specific pathways reported more efficacious memorable messages.

Hope communication as a predictor of documented and undocumented Latina/o high school students’ college intentions across an academic year

ABSTRACT Drawing from hope theory, we examined whether hope communication predicted undocumented and documented U.S. Latina/o youth’s college intentions across an academic year. With three waves of survey data from 172 documented and 253 undocumented Latina/o high school students, auto-regressive cross-lagged analyses revealed that parent, teacher, and friend hope communication at the beginning of the year indirectly increased students’ college intentions by the end of the year. A trend emerged whereby undocumented students reported significantly less hope communication and weaker college intentions than documented students within most of the waves. Our findings suggest that hope communication has the potential to increase the educational, economic, and social mobility of Latina/o immigrant students by increasing their intentions to attend college.

How Do You Like Your Forgiveness? Communication Style Preferences and Effects

Two studies examined forgiveness recipients’ evaluations of, and responses to, four styles of forgiveness-granting communication: engaging, deemphasizing, conditional, and suppressing. In the context of close friendships, Study 1 showed that whereas the engaging style was highly preferred, the suppressing and conditional styles were not. Content analysis suggested that the latter two styles are perceived as unclear, inauthentic, and/or in violation of norms. Study 2 suggested that engaging forgiveness is preferable because it effectively addresses personal and relational face needs and reduces uncertainty. Implications for the conceptualization of forgiveness-granting styles and the practical construction of forgiveness expressions are discussed.

Further Testing Hope’s Role in Constructive Conflict Communication

Using three waves of data, this study examined the relationship between dispositional hope and constructive conflict communication (i.e., “voice” behaviors) in adult romantic relationships. The primary goal was to test if dispositional hope directly predicted voice or if the hope–voice link is mediated by the more relationally proximal variable of conflict efficacy. Results of cross-lagged panel model analysis showed that hope directly predicted voice, even when controlling for variables, such as optimism, general self-efficacy, commitment, and alternative forms of conflict communication. Implications for hope theory-based relational interventions and future research of hope and conflict communication are discussed.