Love hurts: Reactions to being harmed by another and their consequences for the threatened relationship

A Group Presentation of Research by
Professor Michael Harris Bond,
Ming Hui, Chester Kam and Maggie Liao
Department of Psychology
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Abstract

Being hurt by others is a common experience in daily social life, whether these others are intimates, associates or strangers. We react internally by feeling angry and shamed, by judging the harm itself, the others' intentions and the loss of face we have incurred, and by formulating our intentions to respond accordingly. These observable reactions by the target of the harm in turn provoke responses by the perpetrator, contributing to exchanges that usually result in deterioration of the relationship. In this presentation, we will explore some of these processes using a multi-cultural data set generated by asking Hong Kong Chinese and Americans to recall and assess an episode in which they were actually harmed by another. This design will enable us to explore reconstructive processes surrounding noxious interpersonal exchanges and discover if there are cultural differences in their dynamics.