Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
06:04
Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Conflict Escalation in Intimate Relationships: An Event-Based Structural Model
David Mehlhausen-Hassoen1, Zeev Winstok1
1University of Haifa, Israel.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|July 18, 2026
Summary
Intimate partner conflict escalation is driven by how individuals appraise situations and experience anger, not fear. Targeting anger is key for de-escalation efforts in relationships.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Intimate partner violence research often overlooks the dynamics within conflict episodes.
- Focus has been on aggressive acts rather than appraisal, emotion, and response organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advance an event-based structural model of conflict escalation in intimate relationships.
- To examine how appraisal, negative emotional activation, escalation tendency, and behavioral responses cohere within conflict events.
Main Methods:
- A vignette-based survey of 2,702 adults in long-term intimate relationships.
- Path analyses tested associations among appraisal, anger/fear activation, escalation tendency, and behavioral responses.
- Behavioral responding was modeled in two ways to test structural configuration robustness.
Main Results:
- Appraisal components positively predicted negative emotional activation, especially anger.
- Anger, not fear, was linked to escalation tendency and confrontational behaviors.
- Gender differences observed: women reported higher hurt, anger, and escalation tendency; men reported higher compliance.
Conclusions:
- Anger, specifically, drives conflict escalation potential more than general negative emotion.
- Event-specific appraisal and emotion link to readiness and behavioral expression in intimate partner conflict.
- De-escalation efforts should target anger-focused responses rather than global emotional responses.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Ending Relationships
The dissolution of intimate relationships presents complex emotional and psychological challenges, particularly when emotional bonds are strong, the relationship is long-standing, and perceived alternatives are limited. This distress often intensifies in romantic breakups, where the initiator may experience greater turmoil than the rejected partner. Contributing factors include residual attachment, guilt over causing pain, and uncertainty about how to manage the situation. The stress is further...
01:27Relationship Growth
Interpersonal relationships progress through stages, beginning with awareness and moving toward mutuality, where emotional connections deepen. While many relationships remain at moderate levels of mutuality, deeper connections form through self-disclosure, trust, and interdependence.Self-DisclosureSelf-disclosure involves revealing personal information, starting with surface-level details and gradually progressing to more intimate content. As trust grows, individuals feel more comfortable...
01:26Social Exchange Theory
As formulated by John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, Social Exchange Theory explains human relationships as economic-like exchanges that maximize rewards and minimize costs. This theory suggests that individuals engage in relationships to gain benefits and reduce burdens, similar to economic transactions. It has been widely applied to various types of relationships, including romantic, professional, and social interactions.Rewards and Costs in RelationshipsRelationship rewards include emotional...
02:06Social Exchange Theory
We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).
01:23Jealousy in Romantic Relationships
Jealousy is an instinctive yet socially complex emotion that arises when a close relationship is threatened. Its origins lie in both biological imperatives and sociocultural conditioning, making it a multifaceted psychological construct. Although universally experienced, the triggers and expressions of jealousy vary notably between individuals, especially across genders, due to evolutionary pressures and cultural influences.Gender Differences and Evolutionary TheoryEvolutionary theory explains...
01:47Aggression
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for hire...