The misnomer proposition: A critical reappraisal of the longitudinal status of "negativity" in marital communication

We critically examine the proposition that "negativity" of marital problem-solving communication is a misnomer based on a review of currently available data and new analyses encompassing its correlation with, and prediction of, psychological and physical aggression between spouses. The research reviewed unanimously promotes "negativity" as a robust cross-sectional correlate of both marital adjustment and interspousal aggression. Nonetheless, the longitudinal significance of these cross-sectional correlates is surprisingly meager. In fact, in only one longitudinal study did the cross-sectional correlates predict later marital functioning, and this entailed a reversal of the variables' directions of influence. We examine a number of conceptual and methodological implications of the proposition that cross-sectional problem-solving communication correlates are of little significance to longitudinal prediction. We also briefly discuss ways in which these findings should influence marital therapy and future research.