Question

mr. and mrs. smith yell at each other frequently. each believes that the other is angry or hostile because of all of the yelling. each also believes that their yelling is a reaction to the yelling of their partner. this couple's experience best illustrates:

Answer 1

The Smiths' experience illustrates the transactional model of hostility, where antagonistic behavior and negative perceptions create a cycle of hostility, leading to emotional and physical stress.

Step-by-step explanation:

The couple's experience described in the question best illustrates the concept of transactional model of hostility. This model suggests that a person's hostile disposition can cause them to act antagonistic towards others, which then provokes a similar response, setting off a vicious cycle of increasingly negative interactions. The Smiths' mutual beliefs about each other's hostility and the subsequent yelling display how negative interactions reinforce individual perceptions and further contribute to a hostile environment.

These behaviors and interactions align with findings from studies like those by Vella et al. (2012), which concluded that such antagonistic social encounters can lead to social strain and potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Consistently negative interactions can significantly affect one's emotional and physical health, underscoring the importance of addressing destructive communication patterns.