The negative reciprocity process in marital relationships: A literature review

• Negativity reciprocity affects marital satisfaction, marital distress, and aggression in marital relationships.
• Several theoretical advancements can be made to advance the study of negative reciprocity.
• Negative reciprocity is a communicative behavioral pattern that affects marital relationships.

This paper reviews the literature concerning the negative reciprocity pattern present in conflicts in marital õrelationships. This review assesses issues with defining negative reciprocity within the scholarly community and issues with the limited theoretical developments surrounding this topic. Moreover, the review shows how research findings have contributed to our understanding of marital satisfaction, marital distress, decision-making, and aggression. The review also highlights current gaps and limitations of the negative reciprocity literature in marital relationships. Finally, the review discusses future directions for theorizing negative reciprocity and using different methods to study this communicative pattern.