Saying the Wrong Thing or Saying Nothing at All: Comparing Outcomes of Nonsupport Versus Low Person-Centered Emotional Support Messages
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study used expectancy violations theory as a framework to test whether nonsupport (i.e. not receiving support that was expected) is worse than receiving a low person-centered emotional support message. Participants were 886 U.S. adults who were census-matched based on age, sex, and ethnicity who participated in a survey experiment. Results showed that when providing emotional support to someone who suffered an injury, nonsupport generated less emotional improvement and more negative relational ramifications than a low person-centered emotional support message. However, when providing support to someone who has become unemployed, low person-centered messages created more negative relational ramifications than nonsupport. Results suggest that saying nothing at all is not always worse than communicating low person-centered messages, and this may depend on the nature of the stressor.
Source: Figshare
Authors: Colter D. Ray, Kory Floyd
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6902293260
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