Colleen Arendt’s research while affiliated with Fairfield University and other places

What is this page?


This page lists works of an author who doesn't have a ResearchGate profile or hasn't added the works to their profile yet. It is automatically generated from public (personal) data to further our legitimate goal of comprehensive and accurate scientific recordkeeping. If you are this author and want this page removed, please let us know.

Publications (2)


A qualitative meta-analysis of apologia, image repair, and crisis communication: Implications for theory and practice
  • Article

April 2017

·

836 Reads

·

92 Citations

Public Relations Review

Colleen Arendt

·

Megan LaFleche

·

Mary Alice Limperopulos

This qualitative meta-analysis examines thirty years of the apologia, image repair and crisis communication literature. We analyzed 110 articles across 51 peer-reviewed journals from 1986 to 2016 to determine any themes or patterns in the strategies used by organizations and/or individuals facing crises or threatened reputations. Our analysis found that corrective action is the most successful and third most common strategy, particularly when paired with another strategy, such as reducing the offensiveness or bolstering. Denial, in contrast, is the least successful strategy, particularly when paired with evasion of responsibility, or reducing the offensiveness. Yet denial was the most frequently used strategy. Our analysis also uncovered mitigating factors that help shape success or failure, including one’s guilt or innocence, remaining silent, potential legal action, the scope of the crisis, and promptness in responding. Theoretical implications include a broader understanding of strategies people choose as well as intersecting contexts and factors that determine success or failure. Practical implications center on helping practitioners better utilize image repair strategies.


The Dynamic Interplay of Interaction Goals, Emotion, and Conflict Styles: Testing a Model of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Effects on Conflict Styles

January 2014

·

71 Reads

·

7 Citations

International Journal of Communication

This study examines the dynamic interplay of interaction goals, emotion, and conflict styles. Using a three (counterpart conflict styles: competing, integrating, obliging) by two (counterpart emotion: anger, compassion) factorial design, this study seeks to understand the dynamic nature of the conflict process. It also explored a model integrating both intrapersonal and interpersonal effects on conflict styles. Proactive-reactive comparisons reveal both overall changes in interaction goals, emotion, and conflict styles over the course of conflict and specific changes attributable to counterpart emotion and conflict styles. Results also indicate that interpersonal effects of counterpart emotion and conflict styles on one's own reactive conflict styles are largely mediated through intrapersonal processes of reactive emotion and interaction goals.

Citations (2)


... Research on crisis communication has often been focused on organisational crisis situations, and how to minimise their consequences. In these studies, rhetorical strategies employed by organisations have played an important role (see e.g., Arendt et al. 2017). Large scale societal crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, however, require complex communicative processes by a variety of actors. ...

Reference:

Voices in government crisis communication in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rhetorical arena perspective
A qualitative meta-analysis of apologia, image repair, and crisis communication: Implications for theory and practice
  • Citing Article
  • April 2017

Public Relations Review

... Similar to Bevan's seven-goal typology, these four goals can also be grouped by valence or pro-sociality, and while this typology is predominantly featured in studies that are longitudinal in nature (e.g. Worley & Samp, 2018a;Zhang et al., 2014; these studies are reviewed in a later section), the match between goal valence and conflict tactic use found in cross-sectional work generally holds in longitudinal inquiries. ...

The Dynamic Interplay of Interaction Goals, Emotion, and Conflict Styles: Testing a Model of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Effects on Conflict Styles
  • Citing Article
  • January 2014

International Journal of Communication