Complaining Behavior in Social Interaction

Mark D. Alicke · James C. Braun · Jeffrey E. Glor · Mary Lou Klotz · Jon Magee · Heather Sederhoim +1 more

160 citations0/0 files storedPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin

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Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Emotions and Moral Behavior

Abstract

Complaining is a pervasive and important form of social communication but one whose social communicative functions have yet to be subject to empirical investigation. The present study was the first to examine the role of complaining in everyday social interactions. College students kept diaries of the complaints they made to other people for 3 consecutive days, twice during the semester. Students recorded the complaint, the reason for expressing it, and the response it elicited. Over 75% of all complaints registered were non instrumental in nature, in that they were not directed at changing an existing state of affairs but, rather, were expressed for reasons such as to vent frustration or to solicit sympathy. The most frequent complaints involved specific behaviors of another person. The most frequent response to a complaint was to agree with the complainer's statement. The importance of complaining as a form of social communication is discussed, and a number of hypotheses are generated for future research.

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References

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2006Standing up for a change: Reducing bias through interpersonal confrontation.2007“Never eat in that restaurant, I did!”: Exploring why people engage in negative word‐of‐mouth communication 2000An investigation into whether complaining can cause increased consumer satisfaction 2008The Role of Emotions in Translating Perceptions of (In)Justice into Postcomplaint Behavioral Responses 2015Understanding why consumers engage in electronic word-of-mouth communication: Perspectives from theory of planned behavior and justice theory

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