Perceptions of humorous repairs

Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The purpose of the current project was to understand perceptions of humorous repairs in romantic conflict. The study analyzed the relationships among humor attitudes and perceived repair effectiveness. Additionally, the study examined the relationships among humor attitudes and effectiveness mediated by attribution of intent. ☐ Undergraduate participants (N=165) read three hypothetical scenarios about themselves in a conflict with a romantic partner involving a mundane face threat. Afterward, they completed questionnaires measuring the realism of the scenarios, the perceived intentions of their partner, perceived severity of the conflict and perceived repair effectiveness. Additionally, participants completed questionnaires on their humor attitudes. Results indicated participants with high humor appreciation were more likely to accept a repair only through attribution. On the other hand, participants were less likely to accept a repair when they perceived the face threat to be more severe. ☐ The current study contributes to conflict theory by examining the role of humor, face threats and attribution in conflict repairs. The study illustrated the complexity of humorous repair effectiveness. The project found face theory to be valuable groundwork in understanding perceptions of repairs, adding to conflict theory’s understanding that context of a conflict impacts the success or failure of repairs. Lastly, attribution theory seemed to have played a minor role in predicting repair effectiveness.
Description
Keywords
Communication and the arts, Conflict, Face threat, Humor, Repairs
Citation