Avoidance Strategy Use in the Intimate Relationships of Women and Men From Mexico and the United States

Avoidance strategy use refers to the techniques that people use to deal with unwelcome requests from other individuals. Previous research has shown that avoidance strategies in intimate relationships vary along two dimensions: compliance and bilateral dimensions. To determine whether individuals from Mexico and the United States differ in their use of these avoidance strategies with their intimate partners, a study was conducted on males and females from Mexico and the United States. The results indicated that women from the United States reported using more nonverbal disapproval and voices objections types of avoidance strategies with their intimate partners than did women from Mexico and men from both the United States and Mexico. The discussion focuses on the use of social influence strategies among men and women from Mexico and the United States.