Selfdependency of emotional experience intensity changes during a marital conversation

Authors

  • Juan Enrique Wilson Alcalde Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Chile
  • Juan Osvaldo Mejía Paredes Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Chile

Abstract

Thirty couples talked during 20 minutes attempting to solve a highly conflictive problem in their marriage. Each subject rated his/her experience about seven specific emotions during every minute of the conversation. The conversation was analyzed in terms of transitions from the emotional experience intensity on one minute to the next and from one level of intensity to another. The results for each emotion showed a similar pattern of self-dependency. This pattern can be characterized as a disposition to maintain the emotional experience intensity from one minute to the next and as a disposition for  changes on levels of intensity to appear only as light increases or decreases.

Keywords:

Emotion, interaction, marital