Larry A. Erbert

Perceptions of Dialectical Contradictions in Turning Points of Development in Heterosexual Romantic Relationships

The current study sought to examine the perceived centrality or importance of six basic contradictions in the turning points of relationship development for heterosexual romantic pairs. A modified Retrospective Interview Technique was employed to elicit respondent accounts of the turning points of their relationship. For our sample of 100 males and females, drawn from 50 heterosexual romantic couples, the contradictions of Autonomy-Connection and Openness-Closedness were attributed greatest importance across a wide range of turning-point event types. The perceived importance of three other contradictions (Inclusion-Seclusion, Revelation-Concealment, and Predictability-Novelty) was localized in particular turning-point events. The contradiction of Conventionality-Uniqueness was lowest in perceived importance across turning point types.

Conflict and Dialectics: Perceptions of Dialectical Contradictions in Marital Conflict:

This study examined the perceived importance of six basic dialectical contradictions to conflict episodes for 25 marital couples. Using a revised version of the Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT) and questionnaire data, marital couples were asked to recall important conflict episodes, coded for issue type, over a 1-year period. Following in-depth questions about the conflicts, a questionnaire was administered that asked participants to rate 6 basic dialectical contradictions according to their importance for each conflict episode. A second questionnaire was also administered that asked participants to determine whether conflicts were dialectical (antagonistic and non-antagonistic) and/or non-dialectical, relative to each conflict episode. Results reveal that the dialectical contradictions of autonomy-connection and openness-closed-ness were perceived as more important than the other contradictions. Two other contradictions (integration-separation, predictability-novelty) were perceived as important for particular conflict issue types. Results from the second questionnaire revealed that 20% of conflicts were perceived as antagonistic, 16% as non-antagonistic, and 63% as non-dialectical.

Affectionate expressions as face‐threatening acts: Receiver assessments

Although expressions of affection may be regarded as a form of support between relational partners, affectionate communication has the potential also to be threatening to senders’ and receivers’ face needs, especially in nonromantic relationships. On the premise that a given communicative act can support positive face needs while simultaneously threatening negative face needs, this study applied politeness theory to the task of predicting receivers’ responses to affectionate messages from adult platonic friends. Results indicated that direct, unequivocal affectionate messages were the most supportive of positive face and also the most threatening to negative face, while indirect, equivocal messages supported positive face and threatened negative face the least. A curvilinear relationship emerged between the directness of affectionate messages and receivers’ intentions to reciprocate them, with the most direct and most indirect messages being most likely to be reciprocated. The implications of these findings both for affection research and for politeness theory are discussed.

Taking the grand out of grandparent: Dialectical tensions in grandparent perceptions of surrogate parenting

This interpretive study utilized a dialectical framework to explore themes that emerged in interviews with grandparents engaged in raising their grandchildren full-time (i.e. surrogate parents). Detailed interviews with 45 surrogate parents (ranging in age from 45 to 76 years old) were examined inductively and results revealed three primary contradictions: (i) connection versus separation, (ii) stability versus change, and (iii) protection versus expression. Multiple dialectical radiants are embedded within these three primary contradictions. Dialectical radiants for connection/separation included: responsibility-for versus freedom-from, desire versus obligation, blessing versus sacrifice, and safety versus threat. Dialectical radiants for stability/change included: health versus illness, and youthfulness versus aging. Dialectical radiants for protection/expression included: permissiveness versus discipline, and parent versus grandparent. A conceptual model visually demonstrates knots of contradictions for grandparent surrogate experiences.

Perceptions of turning points and dialectical interpretations in organizational team development

This study examined perceptions of turning points and six dialectical contradictions for organizational team development. Sixty-three team members were interviewed utilizing a revised version of the Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT). After turning points were identified, a questionnaire was administered to determine the centrality or importance of six dialectical contradictions for each turning point. The six contradictions were autonomy versus connection, predictability versus novelty, openness versus closedness, team versus individual, dominance versus submission, and competence versus incompetence. Turning point types clustered around issues of cohesion, project development, socialization, member change, competence, workload, and conflict. Questionnaire results revealed that team versus individual and competence versus incompetence were rated as significantly more important and dominance versus submission was significantly less important than the other three contradictions.

Turning points and dialectical interpretations of immigrant experiences in the United States

This study examined immigrant socialization into the American culture using dialectical theory and turning point analysis. Using a revised version of the Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT) and questionnaire data, we asked 53 immigrants to the U.S. to recall turning point events since first arrival into this country. Following in‐depth questions about the turning point events, a questionnaire was administered that asked participants to rate six dialectical contradictions according to their importance for each turning point type. Turning point types identified tended to cluster around the issues of education, social relationships, cultural impressions, employment, travel, health and safety, and housing. Results from ratings of dialectical themes revealed that the openness versus closedness and predictability versus novelty themes were rated as significantly more important than other themes across all turning point types. Additional analysis revealed no significant differences among participants categorized into four different geographical areas, for ratings of affiliation to the culture or alienation from the culture.

Antagonistic and Nonantagonistic Dialectical Contradictions in Organizational Conflict

This study examined the perceived importance of five dialectical contradictions to conflict episodes for 40 organizational employees. Using a revised version of the Retrospective Interview Technique and questionnaire data, organizational employees were asked to recall important conflict episodes, coded for issue type, over a 1-year time period. Following in-depth questions about the conflicts, a questionnaire was administered that asked participants to rate five dialectical contradictions according to their importance for each conflict episode. A second questionnaire was also administered that asked participants to determine if conflicts were dialectical (antagonistic and nonantagonistic) or nondialectical, relative to each conflict episode. Results reveal that all five dialectical contradictions were rated in the moderate range of importance to organizational conflict episodes. Ratings for differences among the five themes were significant for 3 of the 12 conflict issues identified. Results from the second questionnaire reveal that 49.9% of all conflicts were dialectical (15.7% antagonistic, 34.2% nonantagonistic), and 51.1% were nondialectical. Implications for future research are discussed.

Organizational Sensemaking Interpretations of Workplace “Strangeness”

This study examined strange experiences in the workplace from an interpretive-empirical framework. The goal of this study was to examine employee interpretation of strange, unusual, and unexpected workplace experiences. Interviews were conducted with 22 employees of a large national insurance firm in the Midwest that were intended to capture the story theme, employee response, attributions or assignments of causes, and degree of organizational change. Results indicated that the most common strangeness experience themes were lapse or lack of professionalism, general uncertainty, threat to the internal organizational environment, and embarrassment. Employee responses to strange experiences included greater efforts toward information seeking, assistance giving, use of humor, and accommodation to others in the organization. Causal attributions revolved around themes of communication, organizational change, and the nature of personal problems in the workplace. Finally, change themes included “no changes,” consequences for employee actions, and improvements (improved communication, teamwork, problem-solving, conflict management).

Communication and Negotiation: Research and Perspectives

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1995, Vol 40(4), 344-344. Reviews the book “Communication and Negotiation” edited by Linda L. Putnam and Michael E. Roloff (Eds.) (covered in its original form in record 1992-97977-000). This first edition of Communication and Neg