Open communication may help to uncover the source of the wife's frustrating behavior.
It may well be that there is a reciprocal relationship between the husband's anger management issues and the wife's frustrating behaviors. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the husband to preemptively manage his temper. Thus, another technique which would seem to apply directly to the husband is that of finding alternative ways to release his anger. The husband might benefit from joining a gym or a sporting league, channeling his anger and frustration into more recreational pursuits.
Case II:
Explain the concept of face and how the characters could have supported one another's face using general techniques.
As the text by Abigail & Cahn (2011) indicates, conflict may often arise not out of an intentional desire to defy the will of another person but out of a fundamental misunderstanding of terms. Our primary text terms this misunderstanding as a failure to recognize or acknowledge the so-called 'demands of face.' These are often unspoken wants, needs and expectations formed by individuals in personal or working relationships and impasses in understanding these can contribute to festering sources of tension. This is well-demonstrated in the conflict...
This illuminates the concept of face as the general demeanor through which one expresses emotional and psychological disposition in the context of a relationship. Here, Frank and Judy's relationship would benefit substantially from the construct of Supportive Facework, in which both relationship partners work harder to empathize with the emotional signals being sent by one another.
Frank and Judy may also be good candidates for the use of the Repair Ritual techniques described in the text by Abigail and Cahn. Clearly, the state of the relationship has been damaged to the extent that Frank is convinced his wife has more affectionate for her cat than for her husband. Likewise, Judy is convinced that her husband is somehow not in need of her affections. These impressions are likely both incorrect and call for directed energy on face usage that brings warmth, levity and fun back into interactions between husband and wife.
Works Cited:
Abigail, R.A. & Cahn, D.D. (2011). Managing Conflict Through Communication, 4th Edition. Pearson.
