ABSTRACT
As relationships become more intimate, relational partners acquire greater amounts of information about each other, and especially data of a personal nature (Taylor & Altman, 1987). Such information acquisition can result from direct observation of another’s behavior and/or from self-disclosure by the person (C. R. Berger, 1987). Although the acquired information could be positive, it is also possible that insights into some part of the partner’s disagreeable nature might emerge. Indeed, intimates often engage in actions that stimulate negative emotions in their partners (Scherer & Tannenbaum, 1986). When discovering a partner’s negative behavior, individuals must decide whether to disclose their disapproval and run the risk of an argument, or to keep their feelings secret and, perhaps, live with an ongoing provocation. To help with such decisions, communication scholars have turned their attention to conflict management.
