An Experimental Analysis of Power and Aggression in Close Relationships

The purpose of the current study was to examine aggression in romantic couples exposed to different power levels and different patterns of provocation. Participants in positions of high or low power were faced with one of four levels of provocation: Low, Decreasing, Increasing, and High. The amount of “bad juice” a participant was given to drink was used as the manipulation of provocation and the amount of “bad juice” a participant poured for his or her partner was used as the measure of retaliatory aggression. Seventy-nine couples completed multiple trials of drinking and allotting this juice for their partners. A 2 (sex) x 2 (power) x 4 (provocation) x 5 (trial) repeated measures ANCOVA and follow up post-hoc analyses indicated that, overall, participants responded to the provocation condition they were in: participants who received high amounts of provocation retaliated with higher levels of aggression and participants in the low provocation condition responded with lower levels of aggression. Participants in the High Power group poured a larger mean number of ounces of bad juice than participants in the Low Power group; however, participants in the Low Power group poured a greater percentage of juice for their partners than participants in the High Power condition. Men and women displayed similar levels of aggressive behavior, though differences emerged in interaction effects. Implications of these and other findings, as well as methodological limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Power and Aggression in Close Relationships 8 An Experimental Analysis of Power and Aggression in Close Relationships In every intimate relationship there is a time when one partner behaves negatively towards his or her partner; in some cases these conflicts can escalate into violence. In a report for the United States Department of Justice on the extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence, Tjaden and Thoennes (2000) define physical assault as “behaviors that threaten, attempt, or actually inflict physical harm. ” In intimate relationships, physical aggression is defined as a combined physical action with the intent to cause pain or injury to the significant other (Hendrick & Hendrick, 2000). Physical aggression can be observed throughout all stages of a romantic relationship, from dating in adolescence to long-term marriages. These behaviors occur in many forms and in varying degrees of severity, from slapping or hitting a significant other to homicide. The wide range of behaviors that constitute physical aggression in intimate relationships and couples’ unwillingness to truthfully report occurrences make accurate prevalence rates of intimate partner violence difficult to determine. This difficulty is exemplified by varying prevalence rates reported in the current literature. The National Family Violence Survey reported a yearly marital violence incidence rate of 16% (Straus & Gelles, 1990). Of the couples who responded to this survey, 28% reported the occurrence of some form of physical violence during their relationship. A study examining aggression in newlywed couples between the ages of 18 and 35 determined that 33% of these couples reported experiencing aggression (Lawrence, 2001). Another study examining violence in married couples revealed that 31% of men and 44% of women reported aggressing against their partner in the year directly preceding their marriage (O’Leary, Barling, Arias, Rosenbaum, Malone, & Tyree, 1989). In a study of married couples conducted 10 years later results indicated slightly lower rates of premarital aggression; 27% of Power and Aggression in Close Relationships 9 men and 28% of women reported at least one instance of premarital aggression (Leonard & Roberts, 1998). Studies of intimate partner violence are not limited to married couples, however, as physical aggression can occur in all stages of relationships. Surveys show that violence among cohabiting couples may be more frequent than violence in married couples, with rates reaching 35% (Stets & Straus, 1989). Other findings indicated that these rates could be even higher, with physical aggression reported by 37% of men and 43% of women in young married or cohabitating couples (Elliot, Huizinga, & Morse, 1986). Stets and Henderson (1991) found that 30% of their sample of dating couples reported either being physically aggressive against their partner or being the victim of such physical aggression. College and high school students also report experiencing physical aggression in relationships. Studies of college populations offer a wide range of reports, indicating that 20% to 50% of students report experiencing partner aggression (Arias, Samios, & O’Leary, 1987; Bernard & Bernard, 1983; Breslin, Riggs, O’Leary, & Arias, 1990; Makepeace, 1981; Riggs & O’Leary, 1996; Rouse, Breen, & Howell, 1988; White & Koss, 1991). A study conducted in 1986 found that 35.5% of high school students reported to experiencing violence in a dating relationship (O’Keefe, Brockopp, & Chew, 1986). Gray and Foshee (1997) found that there are significant discrepancies in the rate of physical aggression in intimate relationships reported by high school students. Their study indicated that rates of physical aggression ranged from 12% to 36% (Gray & Foshee, 1997). From these cited studies it appears that between one-forth and one-third of all couples in the United States experience some form of intimate violence in their relationship. Most of the research conducted has focused on heterosexual couples. Homosexual relationships have been difficult to study because long-term homosexual couples are less Power and Aggression in Close Relationships 10 common than heterosexual ones (McClennen, Summers, & Daley, 2002). A survey of lesbian couples indicated that the violence rate among this population is between 25% and 50%, and the researchers estimated similar statistics for gay males (McClennen, Summers, & Daley, 2002). A different study of homosexual men and women indicated that 51.5% had experienced some form of domestic violence and confirmed that there were no significant differences in the amount of violence experienced by male and female respondents (Owen & Burke, 2004). Homicide rates occurring in romantic relationships are lower than reported rates of physical violence, but the statistics are sill startling. The U.S. Department of Justice (2007) reported 14% of all homicides in 2007 were committed by intimate partners. Approximately 1,300 women and 800 men are killed each year by intimate partners (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, & Perrin, 1997). Approximately one third of female murder victims aged 12 or older are killed by an intimate partner, versus about 3% of male victims (Fox & Zawitz, 2007).