Conflict Recovery

A new study in  Psychological Science with potential interest for marital therapists, finds that if one partner in a romantic relationship recovers well from conflict, that benefits not only the recovering partner but the other partner as well - both partners feel more satisfaction with the relationship.  Most studies focus on how couples resolve conflict - not what happens after the resolution.  

A partner who recovers well doesn't let the conflict spill over or leak into other parts of the relationship. 

The study also found that infant attachment security plays a role in how partners recover from conflict.

"What we show is that recovering from conflict well predicts higher satisfaction and more favorable relationship perceptions. You perceive the relationship more positively," Salvatore said.  "The interesting finding is that you don't have to be the one who recovers well to benefit."

Read a news article about the study here.