Verbal Aggressiveness in Marriage: Examining the Influence of Empathy and Accountability on the Fundamental Attribution Error

Abstract

This study examined causal attributions made for verbal aggressiveness in marriage relationships. Specifically, empathy and accountability interventions were used to mitigate the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE), or the tendency to underestimate the involvement of situational factors and overestimate the role of dispositional traits in a person’s behavior (Heider, 1958). Other relevant variables were also examined for their association with attributions, including relationship satisfaction, closeness, emotional distress, and severity associated with the verbally aggressive message. An experimental design containing four conditions—accountability, empathy, additive (those who received both accountability and empathy manipulations), and control—was used to assess attributions and perceptions associated with verbal aggressiveness in marriage. Results indicated support for the FAE. Individuals in the control condition made significantly more dispositional attributions for their partners’ aggressive behavior as compared to the other conditions. While the empathy and accountability interventions failed to have a significant influence on causal attributions, individuals who reported greater feelings of empathy toward their partners made significantly more situational attributions and significantly less dispositional attributions for their partners’ aggressive behavior. Relationship satisfaction was also positively related to situational attributions and negatively related to dispositional attributions and to emotional distress associated with the verbally aggressive episode. Emotional distress and relational harm were also positively related, as were severity of episode and relational harm. Similarly, severity of episode and satisfaction were negatively related. Finally, emotional distress and severity of episode were both positively related to dispositional attributions for partners’ aggressive behavior. Results suggest that generating targeted feelings of empathy—rather than general feelings of empathy—may be an effective therapeutic approach for reducing negative reciprocity in verbal aggressive encounters. Additional practical implications involving relationship satisfaction, emotional distress, severity of episode, relational harm, and causal attributions are discussed.