Cognitive processes in intimate conflict: II. efficacy and learned helplessness

Abstract

Abstract This paper, in presenting the second part of a cognitive model of family conflict, discusses the influence of efficacy expectations on conflict attitudes and behavior. It proposes (a) that high efficacy enhances persistence in family problem solving, while low efficacy inhibits such efforts, and (b) that chronic low efficacy may lead to learned helplessness responses in family members. Drawing together the cognitive model of family conflict, the author discusses the joint impact of causal attributions and efficacy expectations on family conflict, then describes the two relevant research studies and discusses several implications of the model for family research and family therapy.