How Romantic Partners Communicate About Sacrifice: A Theoretical Framework and Measurement Approach

Romantic partners regularly make sacrifices for each other, yet little is known about how they communicate about sacrifice. We developed the Sacrifice Communication Scale to capture seven parallel communication types for sacrificers (rational, affectionate, positive reframing, downplaying, victimizing, hostile, withdrawal) and recipients (rational, appreciative, positive reframing, undeserving, critical, withdrawal). Across a cross-sectional study (N = 463 sacrificers and 469 recipients), a weekly experience sampling study (N = 193), and a dyadic longitudinal study (N = 190 couples), sacrificers’ affectionate and recipients’ appreciative communication predicted higher relationship quality through increased intimacy, whereas sacrificers’ victimizing, sacrificers’ hostile, and recipients’ critical communication predicted lower relationship quality, primarily through increased conflict. Sacrificers’ and recipients’ chronic withdrawal also predicted lower relationship quality through reduced intimacy. These findings highlight how sacrifice communication shapes relational outcomes, positioning communication as a key way for couples to navigate sacrifices constructively and sustain relationship quality.