Reversal Theory and Emotional Processes in the LowConflict and High-Conflict Mother-Daughter Dyadic Interactions

As a part of a series of studies conducted for a phd thesis at theuniversity of tasmania, this experiment investigated the emotionalprocesses in the low-conflict and high-conflict mother-adolescentdaughter dyads using reversal theory constructs (apter, 1982) includingmetamotivational states, and reversal processes. among 63 motherdaughter dyads participating in a previous experiment (ghafar-tabrizi, 2003), a high-conflict group (12 dyads) and a low-conflict group (12 dyads), were established on the basis of the conflict subscale of family environment scale (moos & moos, 1994). the study examinedemotional changes during neutral, conflictual, and pleasantconversational interactions. the high-conflict group experiencedgreater levels of unpleasant emotions and positive transactionalemotions than the low-conflict group. on the whole, the resultsdemonstrated the utility of reversal theory constructs in explaining theinterplay between the operative metamotivational state, reversalprocesses, and contextual features in emotional processes in the lowconflict and high-conflict mother daughter dyads. however the verbal,non-verbal, and cognitive factors that instigate reversals remain to beinvestigated