No response? Chronemic expectancy violation and relational turbulence in technologically-mediated romantic relational conflict

Abstract

An extensive body of literature shows how people deal with conflicts, verbally and nonverbally, in interpersonal interactions. However, the role of technologically-mediated communication (TMC) in romantic relational conflict has received less attention. Through the lenses of Relational Turbulence and Expectancy Violations Theories, this study explored how a chronemic expectancy violation from a romantic partner impacts emotional well-being in a TMC-involved conflict discussion. Two online questionnaires were distributed. First, a pilot study was conducted to understand the basic online communication dynamics between emerging adult romantic partners (e.g., usual response latency) and possible emotions when they experience a chronemic expectancy violation from their partner on TMC. Results show that people are likely to experience negative affect and other specific emotions (e.g., disillusion, loneliness, frustration, hurt, anger) if their partner takes longer than expected to respond. The main study then further explored how individuals’ expectations differ in a hypothetical TMC-involved conflict scenario where they use text-based TMC to discuss a recent romantic conflict with their partners. Participants were instructed to imagine a chronemic expectancy violation whereby their partner does not respond within their expected time period (i.e., conflict expected latency) and report their feelings about it. Results show that people expect their partners to respond more rapidly in the conflict scenario than usual and report negative feelings after the expectancy violations. Conflict-specific (e.g., seriousness), personal (e.g., attachment anxiety and avoidance), and relational (e.g., commitment) variables also influence the intensity of their emotional experiences. This research enhances comprehension of nonverbal cues in text-based TMC and potential emotional repercussions in romantic conflict management.