Your significant other has just been short-tempered and impatient with you. Your reaction is to think, "Well, s/he's had a very stressful week, so I'll just forget that it happened." Your reaction would be best described as an example of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This reaction is a relationship-enhancing attribution because it involves attributing a partner's negative behavior to external, situational factors (e.g., having a stressful week) rather than internal, stable traits (e.g., being a mean person). This approach tends to protect the relationship from negative effects of such behavior.

Your Significant Other Has Just Been Short-Tempered and Impatient with You