Communication · Executive Insight Brief · 199
The conflict is a sequence
Dyadic reports distinguish constructive communication and directional demand-withdraw patterns without diagnosing a relationship.
Premise
Conflict is often narrated as one person’s trait: demanding, avoidant, or uncooperative. The Communication Patterns Questionnaire changes the unit of judgment by examining interaction sequences in couple conflict—when a problem arises, during discussion, and afterward. Its central contribution is directional demand-withdraw measurement. One partner’s pursuit of discussion and the other’s disengagement form a relational pattern whose direction can change with the issue and desired change. The instrument maps reported sequences; it does not assign blame or diagnose relationship health.
What the model is: Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ) in Knowledge →
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- FamilyTool
- CategoryMeasurement & Assessment Instruments
- DomainConflict & Negotiation
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Family
Tool
In this series, Tool names the editorial family primarily used to act on, examine, measure or organize communication. It includes instruments, methods, practices, protocols, codes and institutional arrangements. Membership does not certify effectiveness, portability or safe use in every setting.
Editorial orientation · Category
Measurement & Assessment Instruments
Produces measures, scores, profiles or assessments through defined items, observations or measurement rules. The entry identifies what is measured and the conditions governing interpretation.