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Telling stories allows individuals to make sense of, and cope with, everyday life. Yet, not all tales are equally tellable. This study explores experiences of parents who possess an untellable tale of parenthood with the goal of further understanding how these narratives are utilized for coping. The grand theme of Intrapersonal Communication Strategies emerged with two sub-themes: Internal Narrative Reflection, and Internal Narrative Reframing. Interpersonal Communication Strategies emerged with four sub-themes: Tell the Untellable, Tell a Therapist, Write the Untellable, and Tell an Alternative Tale. We explicate these (sub)themes and explain how the findings further scholarship about generative and redemptive narratives, and tellability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay extends the relational turbulence model as a framework for understanding communication in romantic relationships. Following the relational turbulence model, relational turbulence theory identifies relational uncertainty and interdependence as parameters that shape subjective experiences, but the theory clarifies the theoretical processes underlying their distinctive effects. In addition, relational turbulence theory articulates causal processes linking cognitive appraisals and emotions to communication. Relational turbulence theory also describes how episodes characterized by biased appraisals, intense emotions, and volatile communication coalesce into global evaluations of relationships as turbulent. In turn, the theory addresses the effect of relational turbulence on personal, relational, and social outcomes. Finally, the theory explains how communication can contribute to the development of both turbulence and resilience in romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although privacy violations can be uncomfortable and disruptive, they have the potential for positive outcomes in relationships if addressed. Using Communication Privacy Management theory as a framework, this study surveyed a community sample of 273 adults to examine their retrospective accounts of privacy violations in personal relationships. Results showed that less than half of the sample offered explicit rules for information management, and the majority of participants blamed the confidant for the privacy turbulence. Findings indicated that people often do not share similar information with the violator in the future, but if they do, less than half offer explicit privacy rules during the privacy recalibration process. Confrontation efficacy was positively associated with initiating a conversation about the privacy turbulence and that people who engaged in privacy recalibration were more likely to report forgiveness and relational improvement and less likely to report relational damage than those individuals who did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study expands the relational turbulence model ( RTM; Solomon & Knobloch,) by theorizing about how characteristics of relationships and relational judgments influence people's experiences of hurtful messages. Previous applications of RTM to hurt have uncovered associations among relational characteristics that influence people's hurtful experiences; however, the process by which these characteristics influence experiences of hurt remains unclear. We propose that relational communication (specifically, perceptions of dominance, and disaffiliation) is the mechanism linking relational qualities to hurt. A multigroup SEM was conducted to test for the possibility of sex differences. Results showed that people's experiences of hurt vary as a function of both relationship characteristics and relational inferences. Results also indicated a difference in path coefficients for males and females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this article is to clarify the conditions under which intensity of hurt influences how much people distance themselves from hurtful friends or dating partners. This article draws on appraisal theories of emotion, which explain both the causes and consequences of emotions, to derive predictions about the role of variables relevant to hurtful episodes. The authors replicate previous research designs for the study of hurtful messages to test the hypotheses and research questions. Results reveal significant main effects for intensity of hurt, perceived intentionality, relational quality, and frequency of hurt on relational distancing. Additionally, perceived intentionality and frequency of hurt moderated the association between intensity of hurt and relational distancing, contingent on the respondent's sex and the type of relationship. The discussion highlights the utility of appraisal theories of emotion as a framework for the study of hurtful experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]