The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study

Margaret Jane  Pitts; Alice Fanari; R. Amanda Cooper; Jian Jiao; Sara Kim

doi:10.29333/ajqr/13399

Margaret Jane Pitts ¹ ^* , Alice Fanari ², R. Amanda Cooper ³, Jian Jiao ⁴, Sara Kim ⁵

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 139-159

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399

OPEN ACCESS 968 Views 706 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

Savoring contributes to human flourishing by enabling individuals to optimize, enhance, and prolong pleasurable moments. One unique dimension of savoring, communication savoring, refers to the practice of mindfully attending to and elevating pleasurable or meaningful moments that are experienced in language and social interaction. The grounded model of communication savoring identified the types and phenomenological experiences of communication savoring. The purpose of this study is to continue grounded theoretical development of the communication savoring model by adding new cases to build and refine the model and by applying the model to a novel setting. Using a priori and emergent coding, we analyzed 268 communication savoring narratives from 107 emerging adults and 161 mature/older adults. Our findings demonstrate high fidelity across groups and suggest a refinement to one communication savoring type (i.e., extraordinary communication). Our novel application of the model also revealed generational similarities within the contexts for communication savoring (e.g., people and events) and generational differences regarding the valence (i.e., savoring the bittersweet) and target of communication savoring (i.e., giving vs. receiving). Our paper advances qualitative theory-building in positive social science and offers new insight into age differences in communication savoring.

Keywords: positive communication, model of communication savoring, savoring, grounded theory development, communication and aging.

References

Arnett, J. J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.
Blair, E. (2015). A reflexive exploration of two qualitative data coding techniques. Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences, 6(1), 14–29. https://doi.org/10.2458/v6i1.18772
Borelli, J. L., Rasmussen, H. F., Burkhart, M. L., & Sbarra, D. A. (2015). Relational savoring in long-distance romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32(8), 1083–1108. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514558960
Borelli, J. L., Smiley, P. A., Kerr, M. L., Hong, K., Hecht, H. K., Blackard, M. B., Falasiri, E., Cervantes, B. R., & Bond, D. K. (2020). Relational savoring: An attachment-based approach to promoting interpersonal flourishing. Psychotherapy, 57(3), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000284
Bryant, F. B. (1989). A four‐factor model of perceived control: Avoiding, coping, obtaining, and savoring. Journal of Personality, 57(4), 773–797. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1989.tb00494.x
Bryant, F. B., & Smith, J. L. (2015). Appreciating life in the midst of adversity: Savoring in relation to mindfulness, reappraisal, and meaning. Psychological Inquiry, 26(4), 315–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2015.1075351
Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Bryant, F. B., Chadwick, E. D., & Kluwe, K. (2011). Understanding the processes that regulate positive emotional experience: Unsolved problems and future directions for theory and research on savoring. International Journal of Wellbeing, 1(1), 107–126. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v1i1.18
Busse, C., Kach, A. P., & Wagner, S. M. (2017). Boundary conditions: What they are, how to explore them, why we need them, and when to consider them. Organizational Research Methods, 20(4), 574–609. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428116641191
Carstensen, L. L. (1991). Selectivity theory: Social activity in life-span context. In K. Warner Schaie (Ed.), Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics (Vol. 11, pp. 195–217). Springer Publishing Company.
Carstensen, L. L., Fung, H. H., & Charles, S. T. (2003). Socioemotional selectivity theory and the regulation of emotion in the second half of life. Motivation and Emotion, 27(2), 103–123. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024569803230
Chadwick, E. D., Jose, P. E., & Bryant, F. B. (2021). Styles of everyday savoring differentially predict well-being in adolescents over one month. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(2), 803–824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00252-6
Charles, S. T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2009). Social and emotional aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 383–409. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100448
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Cheung, R. Y. M., & Ng, M. C. (2020). Dispositional mindful awareness and savoring positive experiences: A prospective test of cognitive reappraisal as a mediator. Personality and Individual Differences, 163, Article 110050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110050
Cheung, R. Y. M., Leung, M. C., Chiu, H. T., Kwan, J. L. Y., Yee, L. T. S., & Hou, W. K. (2018). Family functioning and psychological outcomes in emerging adulthood: Savoring positive experiences as a mediating mechanism. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(9), 2693–2713. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518798499
Chun, H. H., Diehl, K., & MacInnis, D. J. (2017). Savoring an upcoming experience affects ongoing and remembered consumption enjoyment. Journal of Marketing, 81(3), 96–110. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0267
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Cornish, F., Gillespie, A., & Zittoun, T. (2014). Collaborative analysis of qualitative data. In U. Flick (Ed.), SAGE handbook of qualitative data analysis (pp. 79–93). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446282243
Costa-Ramalho, S., Marques-Pinto, A., Ribeiro, M. T., & Pereira, C. R. (2015). Savoring positive events in couple life: Impacts on relationship quality and dyadic adjustment. Family Science, 6(1), 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/19424620.2015.1082047
Croft, A., Dunn, E. W., & Quoidbach, J. (2014). From tribulations to appreciation: Experiencing adversity in the past predicts greater savoring in the present. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(5), 511–516. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550613512510
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society. Norton.
Ersner-Hershfield, H., Mikels, J. A., Sullivan, S. J., & Carstensen, L. L. (2008). Poignancy: Mixed emotional experience in the face of meaningful endings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(1), 158–167. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.1.158
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Gallagher, S. (2022). What is phenomenology? In S. Gallager (Ed.), Phenomenology (2nd ed.) (pp. 1–10). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11586-8_1
Garland, E. L., Thielking, P., Thomas, E. A., Coombs, M., White, S., Lombardi, J., & Beck, A. (2017). Linking dispositional mindfulness and positive psychological processes in cancer survivorship: A multivariate path analytic test of the mindfulness‐to‐meaning theory. Psycho-Oncology, 26(5), 686–692. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4065
Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity: Advances in the methodology of grounded theory. Sociology Press.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine.
Gordon, R. D. (1985). Dimensions of peak communication experiences: An exploratory study. Psychological Reports, 57(3), 824–826. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1985.57.3.824
Gregory, A. L., Quoidbach, J., Haase, C. M., & Piff, P. K. (2021). Be here now: Perceptions of uncertainty enhance savoring. Emotion, 23(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000961
Harwood, J. (2018). Understanding communication and aging: Developing knowledge and awareness (2nd ed.). Cognella.
Henwood, K. L., & Pidgeon, N. F. (1992). Qualitative research and psychological theorizing. British Journal of Psychology, 83(1), 97–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1992.tb02426.x
Hurley, D. B., & Kwon, P. (2012). Results of a study to increase savoring the moment: Differential impact on positive and negative outcomes. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(4), 579–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9280-8
Hurley, D. B., & Kwon, P. (2013). Savoring helps most when you have little: Interaction between savoring the moment and uplifts on positive affect and satisfaction with life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(4), 1261–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-012-9377-8
Jiao, J., Kim, S., & Pitts, M. J. (2021). Promoting subjective well-being through communication savoring. Communication Quarterly, 69(2), 152–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2021.1901758
Jose, P. E., Lim, B. T., & Bryant, F. B. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2012.671345
Knapp, M. L, Stohl, C., & Reardon, K. K. (1981). “Memorable” messages. Journal of Communication, 31(4), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1981.tb00448.x
Kringelbach, M. L., & Berridge, K. C. (2009). Towards a functional neuroanatomy of pleasure and happiness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(11), 479–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2009.08.006
Lades, L. K., Laffan, K., Daly, M., & Delaney, L. (2020). Daily emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Health Psychology, 25(4), 902–911. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12450
Lee, D. S., Ybarra, O., Gonzalez, R., & Ellsworth, P. (2018). I-through-we: How supportive social relationships facilitate personal growth. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217730371
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE.
Marques-Pinto, A., Oliveira, S., Santos, A., Camacho, C., Silva, D. P., & Pereira, M. S. (2020). Does our age affect the way we live? A study on savoring strategies across the life span. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(4), 1509–1528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00136-4
Mirivel, J. C. (2019). On the nature of peak communication: Communication behaviors that make a difference on well-being and happiness. In J. A. Muñiz-Velázquez & C. M. Pulido (Eds.), Routledge handbook of positive communication: Contributions of an emerging community of research on communication for happiness and social change (pp. 50–59). Routledge.
Nezlek, J. B., & Gable, S. L. (2001). Depression as a moderator of relationships between positive daily events and day-to-day psychological adjustment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(12), 1692–1704. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672012712012
Nowlan, J. S., Wuthrich, V. M., & Rapee, R. M. (2015). Positive reappraisal in older adults: A systematic literature review. Aging & Mental Health, 19(6), 475–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2014.954528
Nussbaum, J. F. (2013). The communication of wisdom: The nature and impact of communication and language change across the life span. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 32(3), 243–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X12463009
Nussbaum, J. F., Pecchioni, L. L., Robinson, J. D., & Thompson, T. L. (2000). Communication and aging (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Palmer, C. A., & Gentzler, A. L. (2019). Age-related differences in savoring across adulthood: The role of emotional goals and future time perspective. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(4), 1281–1304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0001-4
Pecchioni, L. L., Wright, K. B., & Nussbaum, J. F. (2005). Life-span communication. Routledge.
Pietromonaco, P. R., & Collins, N. L. (2017). Interpersonal mechanisms linking close relationships to health. American Psychologist, 72(6), 531–542. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000129
Pitts, M. J. (2019). The language and social psychology of savoring: Advancing the communication savoring model. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 38(2), 237–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X18821404
Pitts, M. J., & Harwood, J. (2015). Communication accommodation competence: The nature and nurture of accommodative resources across the lifespan. Language & Communication, 41, 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2014.10.002
Pitts, M. J., Kim, S., Meyerhoffer, H., & Jiao, J. (2019). Communication savoring as positive interpersonal communication. In J. A. Muñiz-Velázquez & C. Pulido (Eds.), Routledge handbook of positive communication: Contributions of an emerging community of research on communication for happiness and social change (pp. 98–107). Routledge.
Ramsey, M. A., & Gentzler, A. L. (2014). Age differences in subjective well-being across adulthood: The roles of savoring and future time perspective. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 78(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.2190/AG.78.1.b
Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2016). Nostalgia: A bittersweet emption that confers psychological health benefits. In A. M. Wood & J. Johnson (Eds.), Wiley handbook of positive clinical psychology (1sted., pp. 125–136). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118468197.ch9
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
Smith, J. L., & Bryant, F. B. (2016). The benefits of savoring life: Savoring as a moderator of the relationship between health and life satisfaction in older adults. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 84(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415016669146
Smith, J. L., & Bryant, F. B. (2017). Savoring and well-being: Mapping the cognitive-emotional terrain of the happy mind. In M. D. Robinson & M. Eid (Eds.), The happy mind: Cognitive contributions to well-being (pp. 139–156). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58763-9_8
Smith, J. L., & Hanni, A. A. (2019). Effects of a savoring intervention on resilience and well-being of older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 38(1), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464817693375
Smith, J. L., & Hollinger-Smith, L. (2015). Savoring, resilience, and psychological well-being in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 19(3), 192–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2014.986647
Sousa, D. (2014). Validation in qualitative research: General aspects and specificities of the descriptive phenomenological method. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 11(2), 211–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2013.853855
Sytine, A. I., Britt, T. W., Sawhney, G., Wilson, C. A., & Keith, M. (2019). Savoring as a moderator of the daily demands and psychological capital relationship: A daily diary study. Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(5), 641–648. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1519590
Tighe, C. A., Dautovich, N. D., Hilgeman, M. M., & Allen, R. S. (2022). Links between savoring, rumination, and sleep-related experiences across adulthood: Implications for older adults. Clinical Gerontologist, 45(2), 419–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2021.1878404
Tirpak, J. W., Cassiello-Robbins, C., Ametaj, A., Olesnycky, O. S., Sauer-Zavala, S., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (2019). Changes in positive affect in cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. General Hospital Psychiatry, 61, 111–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2019.06.008
Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2007). Regulation of positive emotions: Emotion regulation strategies that promote resilience. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8(3), 311–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9015-4
Yingling, J. (2004). A lifetime of communication: Transformations through relational dialogues. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Citation

Pitts, M. J., Fanari, A., Cooper, R. A., Jiao, J., & Kim, S. (2023). The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), 139-159. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399

Pitts, M. J., Fanari, A., Cooper, R. A., Jiao, J., and Kim, S. (2023). The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), pp. 139-159. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399

Pitts MJ, Fanari A, Cooper RA, Jiao J, Kim S. The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3), 139-159. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399

Pitts, Margaret Jane, Alice Fanari, R. Amanda Cooper, Jian Jiao, and Sara Kim. "The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2023 7 no. 3 (2023): 139-159. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399

Pitts, Margaret Jane et al. "The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 7, no. 3, 2023, pp. 139-159. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399

Pitts MJ, Fanari A, Cooper RA, Jiao J, Kim S. The Grounded Model of Communication Savoring: Theory Development and Age Cohort Study. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3):139-59. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13399