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Negative sentiment override is a concept that Dr. John Gottman used to describe the condition that occurs when negative thoughts and feelings about one’s partner become predominant in the relationship. When an individual is in this state, their partner’s statements, attitudes, and behaviors are often experienced as negative even if they are neutral or positive. Hawizins et al. (2002) For example, a partner is late coming home from work and their spouse has made several attempts to call, but there was no answer. If the partner is in negative sentiment override (also known as negative perspective), he or she will entertain negative thoughts like “He knows it’s me calling, that’s why he won’t pick up the phone. He doesn’t even have the decency to let me know that he’s okay.” Conversely, if the partner is in positive sentiment override (also known as a positive perspective), he or she would think “Gee, I hope he’s okay. He usually answers.”
Theoret...
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References
Gottman, J. M. (1994). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Hawkins, M. W., Carrere, S., & Gottman, J. M. (2002). Marital sentiment override: Does it influence couples’ perceptions? Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 193–201.
Robinson, E. A., & Price, M. G. (1980). Pleasurable behavior in marital interaction: An observational study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 117–118.
Weiss, R. L. (1980). Strategic behavioral relationship therapy: Toward a model for assessment and intervention. In J. P. Vincent (Ed.), Advances in family intervention, assessment and theory (Vol. 1, pp. 229–271). Greenwich: JAI Press.
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Gottman, J., Cole, C., Cole, D.L. (2018). Negative Sentiment Override in Couples and Families. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_180-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_180-1
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