What is negative affect reciprocity?

• A. It is a cycle where each partner’s negative emotions provoke more negativity from the other.
• B. It is a one-way display of anger from one partner with no response.
• C. It refers to both partners suppressing emotions.
• D. It refers to using humor to diffuse conflicts.

Answer: (A)

Negative affect reciprocity is the pattern in which one partner’s negative emotions provoke more negativity from the other, creating a mutual, escalating back-and-forth of negativity during interactions. The key idea is that negativity doesn’t stop with one person—it triggers a responding negativity that, in turn, elicits further negative reactions, forming a cycle. This helps explain why some conflicts spiral and become more damaging over time, as both partners contribute to and perpetuate the negativity.

This isn’t about a one-way display of anger, emotional suppression by both partners, or using humor to diffuse conflicts. Those scenarios don’t capture the reciprocal exchange of negative feelings that propagates and deepens the conflict.